Poisonous Affairs
by The.Bright.Eyes
Summary: The story of a kunoichi who works with poisons. Romance is minimal-nonexistent for the awhile, so don't get your hopes up. Rated M for later chapters. NejixOC
1. Training

So, hi everyone. .Eyes here, with my new fantastical story. It's mainly action oriented, with a lot of fighting and stuff like that. There isn't much "romace" until way later in the story, so if you're hoping for a quick fluff story, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Some parts of the story are heavily tied in with the story, as I tried to stay along the Naruto-world timeline the best as I possibly could, including actual lines from the show, while others are loosely based, going off in my own direction. After all, Team Gai isn't shown all the time. Having said this, Naruto and all of the characters, text, and plot information belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Tv Tokyo.

* * *

**Chapter One** – _Training_

We were the best, the four of us under our sensei. We were the strongest, the fastest, and the cream of the crop when it came to a ninja team. There was Neji, he was the brains. He was a real prodigy, even for fifteen, and had a powerful bloodline jutsu to go with it. Lee, who was fully tai jutsu, probably the fastest and strongest man I have ever met, next to my sensei Gai. Tenten has dangerous accuracy with weapons of all kinds, small and large. Me? Well, I use a mixture of many things. I have weapons and poisons for my main attacks, making me quite deadly. I brew poisons of all kinds, fatal and nonfatal, for all sorts of different results. I can paralyze, knock out, and a number of other effects with these concoctions. I, like the rest of my team, have great taijutsu abilities, since we have Gai for a sensei. But, I do have some ninjutsu. The normal substitution, et cetera and so forth I obviously can perform. I can also cast one gen jutsu. It is that of a field of roses that wrap their thorny vines around a person, feeling as if they are as long and razor sharp as a new kunai.

It's training now; tomorrow we have a mission, so it isn't as tough as it usually would be. Normally, we'd have to run at least fifteen laps around Konoha, do an insane amount of pushups and other "warm up" exercises before we'd ever even get to the actual "training". Warming up took at least an hour with this team. We'd already completed that for the day, now we were beginning our training. Tenten was working on her aim with different weighted weapons. Lee and Neji were sparring under Gai's watchful eye. I sat under a tree, watching them, mixing poisons. I wore heavy leather gloves, because God forbid if I cut myself. I'd done that once, and I was lucky that I was making a paralysis poison. I refused to continue until I'd gotten them. Right now I was making a cure for my poisons, just in case one of my teammates, or anyone else, got into my kunai pouch and stabbed themselves. I'd already created a poison that put the victim to sleep and a new formula, one that stunned the victim, but retained all of his senses. I needed to test that one, but first this cure had to be created. If the poison was deadly, I couldn't necessarily fix the problem if I couldn't cure it. So, I was mixing herbs and creating a liquid with it, occasionally taking a few drops and putting them on a few drops of the poison. Nothing, nothing, nothing. After my seventh try, I got it, the poison hissed softly, barely making a whisper of noise, before disappearing, leaving only the cure in place. I grinned to myself and bottled the mixture, carefully labeling it with the ingredients and what it did.

"Gai-sensei," I called. The match was just about over, I could tell, as he looked up. "Could you please come here?" I said, pushing the cork into place on the vial. I was still making poisons, for all he knew, so he wandered over, curious. "Yes, Maia? What can your awesome teacher do for you?" He was always boasting in some way, you eventually got over it and ignored it. "I made a new poison today. I believe it only stuns the target, allowing them to have all five senses. However, I'm not sure if it's exactly safe. How should I go about testing it?" I asked him. Up until now I'd been learning poisons that had been created by others, that were set in stone. He looked thoughtful – a rarity, I swear to you – and then nodded.

"I suppose you'll have to test it out on one of us." He said, with a sweeping motion to include the other three and himself. I stared at him. "Are you insane? It might kill someone if I'm wrong!" I exclaimed. I wasn't about to kill a teammate to test something out, and I didn't want them incapacitated before a mission, not to mention how horrible I'd feel. He just grinned that stupid, cocky Gai grin of his.

"You have an antidote, don't you? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be asking me if you didn't. Besides, there's no poison out there that can kill in less than five seconds. People have been trying for years, so I doubt that you've made that amazing poison. So, let's get a shot of that cure, and we'll bring it out for a test run." I glared at him, but did as I was told. I'd made enough for three shots with very little left over – enough to be able to make a new batch and be sure that it was the same substance. I handed these three to Gai, who beckoned Lee over.

"Lee, take half of your weights off. When one of us is struck by Maia's blades, get to them, but allow us to view the results for a moment before administering the shot. Make sure you get the cure as close to the poisoned site as possible." Lee saluted him and did as he was bid before taking the three syringes. I should have just tested it on myself instead of calling Gai into it. He could go overboard if we weren't careful. But, my team trusted me, Lee, and yes, even Gai, so they did go along with it after a little more arguing. During that time I carefully coated both sides of the kunai with the poison, as well as the sharp ridges. I'd need to know exactly what I was up against if I got a full dosage into someone, not just an itty bitty bit. They'd get the real deal, or nothing. After creating a handful of kunai that were poisoned, I stood and awaited Gai's orders. He'd positioned everyone at different intervals from me. This was going to be a training exercise for me with my aim, even if it was quite dangerous.

"Alright Maia, let's get this over with." I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to pretend that I wasn't about to throw a deadly weapon at my teammate… and that was without the poison. I took aim on Tenten, aiming for her left shoulder, well away from the heart. I threw, and she instinctively ducked and rolled to the right. Then, she rose, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, Maia." She said, nodding for me to throw again. This time, I threw at her leg, and it hit dead on, since she'd held herself dead still, even though her instincts told her to flee. She fell to the ground with a thud, since I'd hit a muscle on accident.

"Tenten! Are you okay?" I cried, taking a step forward. Lee was already at her side, and he was sticking her with the needle not even half a second later, supporting her upper body with one arm. He yanked the kunai out swiftly, but Tenten didn't even flinch. We stared at her, watching in silence, holding our breath. I was about to ask if we should take her to the hospital when she took a small gulp of air and shifted slightly. She looked at me, and I saw her mouth twitch upwards slightly.

"Lee, bandage her wound so we can get back to the test." He told his pupil, who instantly pulled bandages out of his pouch at his hip and began to bind the wound. Gai obviously had seen the movement too. Once Tenten was taken care of and placed in the shadow of a tree to the side, we started again. Gai gave new instructions this time. "Lee, let the poison sit for three seconds exactly before administering the cure." He nodded, and I threw at Neji. He, like Tenten, instantly reacted for the defensive. Man, we were wired on too much defense. We really needed to get out more. He, the show off that he is, caught it out of the air, spun and threw it back at me. I yelped softly as I dodged to the right, throwing the other one. As it was in the air, I yanked the other kunai out of the tree behind me. However, I hadn't expected Neji to throw it again; I figured he'd control himself. He threw it back, and it embedded itself in the right of my back. I froze where I was, unable to move.

Lee was over by me instantly. I tried to open my mouth, to tell him not to administer the drug, but it was too late. I felt the needle enter my flesh, the coolness of the cure spreading, and the release of the blood that the kunai had held back. After a few moments, I could sense the cure taking its effects. It was almost completely through my system and I would be able to move again. Tenten was already up and about, stretching and such. I felt Lee pulling my shirt up so that he could bandage my back. I didn't feel the usual embarrassment that you'd expect a girl to feel when a guy was messing with your shirt like that. No, I felt safe with the team, they were like family. I knew they wouldn't do anything like that.

"There you go, Maia." Lee's voice rang out.

"Help me up, please, Lee." I asked slowly, my tongue not wanting to work properly. He supported me, one of my arms over his neck, until I could stand against the tree. I didn't have enough of the cure for any more than one more trial, and I needed the trial on me. I could feel how it could affect others and how I could better take advantage if I felt it myself. Now, if it were a killing poison, obviously I'd just need to watch, but this was internal. I had to see if it would wear off within a short period of time, or if it would hurt me.

"Neji, throw it at me again. Lee, don't give me the cure until fifteen seconds have passed." I ordered. Lee looked at me, shocked to hear the time rise. Gai looked thoughtful, but nodded. "If she shows any signs of passing out, not breathing, anything, stab her with the cure as close to her heart as you can manage." Gai said, very seriously. Lee saluted, and stood next to me. I tossed the kunai to Neji. It landed on the ground a few inches to his right, and he lifted it up. Without a word, he threw it at me, and it embedded itself in my right shoulder. I felt my body go stiff almost instantaneously, a few moments in there that would give a victim time to fall over I noted. The poison seeped quickly, no nonsense, almost like a fatal poison. The nerves it touched deadened even more so than the ones that were on the opposing side of my body. My left hand, for instance, could move slightly. But, when it'd hit near my spine, it didn't. So, spine or major arteries was the key. Thank goodness I knew my human anatomy. Fifteen seconds were up; I saw the needle pierce my skin near my heart. The cure moved rapidly through my body, and soon I could move my whole left side – since it wasn't nearly as effected – and I could speak.

"You couldn't have chosen a better different spot to hit me?" I demanded as I pulled off my outer shirt. I had a tank top and bra on underneath the shirt, but I'd have to move the straps off the right shoulder so we could properly bind them. I did so as Neji just gave me his mocking shrug. I glared at him as I felt bandages wrap around my shoulder and upper arm. After he was done, I had most of my motor skills back to myself, and I wandered back to my tree, where all my supplies were. I carefully packed my vials away in their carry pouch before pulling out a vial from within the folds. Since I was pretty good at poisons and herbs, I also did some healing potions. It wouldn't heal you instantaneously, but the wounds would be a lot better off tomorrow than they would be without it. I poured a generous amount into an empty vial and corked it.

"Tenten, drink this before bed and you'll be better off tomorrow." I told her, double checking the vial to make sure I wasn't going to end up killing her tonight. It was a nervous habit. I handed the potion over, and she smiled at me.

"Thanks, Maia." Then, Gai's voice boomed out.

"Alright, my pupils, tomorrow we have a B-rank mission! We will be given the details tomorrow at eight thirty exactly. You should be packed and ready to leave at that time." Then, he gave us a lecture on how we were youthful, and that we should be early, and all of his insane other ideas. Finally, "You are dismissed until then." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and I just shook my head. I finished packing the vials away and gathered my kunais. By then, everyone else had left, gone to pack. I glanced up at the sky. It was approximately noon. I made my way to my home, where I lived alone. My parents had wanted to move, but I had already become a genin, so I refused to leave. So, they left without me, and we keep in touch through letters. They live somewhere in a smaller village in the Land of the Fire. My home was a small apartment, one bed one bath. It was cozy, and it wasn't like I was in it too terribly much.

It wasn't that long until I was on the third floor in front of room 25-B. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, shutting the door with my foot. I flipped the lights on and gently set my poisons pack on the table. I decided to eat lunch before packing, since it'd probably be awhile before I finished. I walked into the small kitchenette and prepared myself a sandwich with an orange. I devoured this quickly, followed by a cup of water. Once I'd cleaned up and washed my cup and plate, I walked back into the main room where I'd left my pouch. I lifted it and carried it to the desk set aside for this very purpose. There were notes in a pile on the right, and vials in rows of holders on the rest. In the cabinets above were the herbs, in alphabetical order. My attention first went to the racks of vials. I made many poisons and healing potions in my spare time, testing and experimenting. There were different poisons, and I picked three of the paralysis poison someone else had created, two of the poisons, and three of the sleeping vials. Then, I added one of my own. After all these came five of the healing potions. Each were carefully labeled, I doubled checked, as always, so that I wouldn't mix them up. I set them aside for the moment.

Now, I needed to get my ingredients, because I didn't want to be caught without any poisons at a crucial moment. I took enough of each herb that I could create two vials of each of the poisons I had selected. I placed each herb in a different carrying pouch, each marked with a small piece of paper with their name, which I tied closed with a string. I had ten of those in all. Finally, my gloves, the bowl I mixed in, five empty vials, and a small tenderizing hammer. Once I had all these items on my desk, I retreated to my room to grab my back pack. Mine I had ordered special, and in the bottom was a built in rack enclosed in a cushioned box to keep from breaks. I slipped each vial into its respective slot, then the five empty ones into the end. It was a tight fit, especially since I'd almost overfilled the compartment; the cloths filled it to completion. There would be no movement in this department. Once that was done, I tucked a cloth around each of the vials, so that they wouldn't clink against each other while we moved. A second compartment attached to this box, was for the herbs. I gently placed each of the small sacks into the box, and then closed the whole thing. I tied it shut with yet another string, and I was ready to go pack. I would pack my clothes and bandages first, for added support. My backpack had an extra layer of cushioning all around, for shock resistance. It had cost quite a bit, but I'd only lost one vial of poison in my whole use of this bag.

I walked to my room, being gentle with my bag while I could. I pulled out an extra set of underwear and packed them at the very bottom. Then, four tank tops, both gray with a tint of green. Next item of clothing were my shorts. I pulled out four pairs of short black shorts, made of a heavy enough material that it wouldn't rip too terribly easy. Finally, I grabbed two pairs of my long, black fingerless gloves. They extended from my hands to just below my shoulders, tied at the top with red ribbon. I had room on the top for two rolls of bandages and some needles and thread, plus an extra baggy white shirt, for a sling if needed. You could never be too prepared. I still had some room, so I tossed in a small bag of soldier pills and an extra pouch of kunais and wire. I never used them, personally, but there was a first for everything. I closed the bag and opened the smaller compartment that was just in front of it. Here I would store energy bars and other rations for the trip. I checked everything, and then I rose, snagging a third bag of kunais. I strode out the room with my heavier burden and set it on the table, walking back into the kitchen. I grabbed my energy bars, great rations for long trips, and tipped about twenty into the bag. That's all it would hold, anyway. I grabbed two apples and set them next to the bag, for a going away treat. Then, I sat at my desk.

I pulled out the third pouch I'd grabbed and dumped the contents onto the desk carefully. There were thirty four kunais in all. I'd spread the poisons as easily as I could. I began with the paralysis. Eleven kunais would be painted with this poison. I tied a linen strip to the ends of each, distinguishing the weapon. It was of a deep blue, which gave color identification for the rest of my team. After I'd thoroughly coated each side of the blades twice, I went over the edges once. Then, I hung them on a cord to dry, being careful to keep them above the drip pan, where all my poisons got mixed together. I'd clean that up later. Next came the sleeping poison, eleven kunai as well. It received the adornment of yellow silk, and was soon hanging to dry. The final was poison, and it would have black yarn wrapped around it. There was twelve kunais this time. Once they were all finished, I fished four of the kunai out of my current pouch and coated it with the newest poison. That's when I belatedly realized I'd forgotten to pack the cures. Well, I had to finish this first, or I'd get uneven poison spreads. A purple linen cloth at the ends was the marker for this one. Once it was drying, I began to unpack my bag, and opened the poison compartment.

I removed four of the empty vials and one of the sleeping poisons. Then, two of the poison cures and one of each of the other cures went in. I quickly assembled all of the herbs for the cures and placed them in their own sacks, marking each with a tag of paper with their names, as I'd done earlier for the rest. I placed all these into their compartments and replaced the cloths that would keep them still. Then I repacked everything. I was ready to go, almost. I restocked the pouch at my hip with clean kunais and shuriken, so that it was full. Then, I retrieved the other kunais, since they finished drying, and placed them back into their pouch, grouping each of the poisons together. I closed this and set it next to the bag. I was now good to go. I glanced at the clock. Five thirty. It had taken four and a half hours to get ready to leave. Geeze, what a girl I was. Well, most girls wouldn't be playing with poisons, I consoled myself. It wasn't my fault they took precise measurements. I stretched and yawned, but my stomach told me I needed to eat. So, I rose from my seat and grabbed my wallet out of the kitchen before strolling out the door.

Outside, I made my way downstairs. Once my feet were firmly on the ground, I set off for the ramen shop. As I walked, I glanced around. Stores were beginning to close and the road was slowly beginning to clear. I knew the ramen shop would still be open for a few hours, so I was in no rush. I took a turn and continued along, but my stomach complained that I was going much too slow. I kept my pace though, taking turns, pushing through masses as I needed to, until I was standing outside of the stand. There was already one other person there, as always. The inevitable Naruto, who was "going to be the greatest Hokage someday", was seated there, in his favorite seat, slurping away at his ramen. I tucked my wallet into my pocket, hoping that he wouldn't notice it and ask me for help paying for it. Poor kid loved ramen so much, but he didn't have much money. Sure, she pitched in every now and again, but she didn't want to be suckered in every time.

"Hey, Maia!" Naruto called, waving his chopsticks, grinning widely. I smiled back at him as I took my seat. "Can I get a miso ramen with pork and leeks?" I called to the man making the ramen. He raised his hand in acknowledgement and nodded, and I leaned against the counter. Naruto was slurping his soup loudly, but it was a noise I was used to. It only took a few minutes before the ramen was set before me, a light steam rising from the broth. I blew on the soup lightly before I broke the chopsticks apart. I ate the soup quickly, the hot noodles scorching my tongue and the back of my throat, but I didn't care. My stomach wanted the food _now_. Naruto started chattering at me, but I merely made affirmative noises in the right spot more than actually heard him. Once I finished, I slid the proper amount of money onto the table, along with a few coins to help Naruto out. Then, I rose and returned home.

By now it was dark, but I wasn't deterred by the shadows that hung around every corner. This was Konoha, my village. Besides, if a little darkness was all that it would take to stop me, then I shouldn't be a kunoichi at all. The streets were bare, and I made my way home in silence, taking less than half the time it had to arrive at the shop. Once I was inside my apartment, I strode to the bathroom and took a long hot shower. I used this time to work out tense muscles and pains, because after today, I wouldn't have a chance at a hot shower until we returned, more likely than not. I was very careful with my wounds, gently cleaning them with a towel. I washed my hair, and the soap stung my wounds, but I rinsed them thoroughly before I reluctantly stepped out of the shower. I wrapped my hair in the towel and then dried with a second one. After I completed those two tasks, I re-wrapped my wounds and then got dressed for bed. I almost forgot, but I drank a healing potion to help my wounds through the night. I then let my hair down just before I lay down in the bed. Once my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.

* * *

Alright, so there's my first chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and the next chapter to review. =D


	2. Missing Children

I'd like to get some reviews back on my work before I keep going. I'd hate to post up a story and have no one like or read it, you know? So, all constructive comments are welcome. Please no flames.

Naruto and all of the characters, text, and plot information belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Tv Tokyo.

* * *

**Chapter Two** – _Missing Children_

When I woke the next morning, it was seven forty-five. I'd over slept by thirty minutes. I rose from my bed in a hurry, barely taking the time to throw the covers back onto the bed neatly. Then, I dressed quickly in my usual gray-green tank top. It stopped just bellow my belly button, and in the center there was a wedge cut out that showed off my belly button. I yanked on my short black shorts, which stopped before my mid-thigh. Through the belt loop on my right side, I tugged a red belt, fastening it so that the far end of the belt rested halfway down my shorts on the left side. I tucked my long, fingerless gloves into my free belt loops. I'd put them on later. I scooped my hitai-ate and tied it onto my forehead as I left my room. I pulled my shoes on and then I was rushing into the kitchen, where I quickly ate an orange, two slices of toast, and a small bowl of cereal. I checked the clock swiftly, and I saw that it was now eight o' one. I had a few minutes, so I pulled the gloves onto my arms, fastening them into place just under my shoulders. I grabbed my wallet from the shorts I'd thrown into my hamper the night before and tucked it into my backpack. Then, I attached my kunai holster to my shorts and grabbed the poisoned holster and placed it next to the first one. Sure, it looked weird, but hey, it was worth it. I then grabbed the backpack and slung it over one shoulder and then picked up my apples and walked out the door without looking back, only pausing to lock the door behind me.

I was quick in descending the stairs, but I was instantly pulled into the traffic of people going to work or looking to shop early. I fought my way to a wall, where I slung myself up onto the roof and made my way along. I couldn't be late; if I wasn't there fifteen minutes early along with everyone else, Gai-sensei would go insane and give us a lecture on being youthful. Then, when we returned from our mission, he'd make us run extra laps for about a week. Being "late" was frowned upon by everyone on the team, especially when they had to endure the punishment with you. So, I made my way, ignoring the odd looks I received from those below me. It wasn't too long before I was stepping inside the Hokage's building, and a secretary silently pointed to the stairs. I smiled and then rushed up them, having glanced at her clock. I had approximately two minutes to arrive. I made it with thirty seconds to spare, and my teammates all – excluding Neji, who almost never showed emotion – shot me relieved looks. Once those thirty seconds had passed, Gai-sensei arrived in the room with a puff of smoke and a brilliant smile. He beamed at us all and congratulated our youthfulness. Then, he announced to the Hokage that we were all present, who beckoned us into his office. We filed in, Neji first and myself last, and stood at attention before his desk.

"Today I am assigning you a B-rank mission." Sarutobi told us, as if we didn't know. "You will be escorting six children. This group of children has ages ranging from approximately seven years of age to thirteen. They were kidnapped from their homes in different villages in Country of Fire, and are all missed in their homes. It is your job to keep these children from the kidnappers – for we could not catch them all, sadly – and return them to their homes. Are there any questions?" We shook our heads silently. "Very good. Three live in the village of Otafukugai, One in Tanzukugai, and Two in Border Town. They will announce their villages to you once they have entered this room. Now," Sarutobi said. "Please bring the children in." He called. The door opened, and children were ushered in by a woman. One boy, the youngest it seemed, clung to the woman, looking around with wide eyes. "These are the children you are to escort."

There were four girls and two boys in all. The eldest was a boy named Akira, and he was fourteen. The girls were Kana, eleven, Chou who was ten, Aiko, also ten, and Masumi, who was nine. The youngest was seven year old boy called Ryu. We were allowed to pick our charges. Lee was with Chou, Neji picked Akira, and Tenten decided to defend Aiko. I was left with a choice of two, as Gai was going to primarily defend Kana. The one I did not choose would be defended equally by us – well, all of them would be, but we were the primary defense for them. I picked Ryu, and he looked alarmed. Masumi looked slightly crestfallen, but Tenten laid a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. I approached Ryu slowly, smiling gently as I reached a hand out towards him. He glanced up at the woman he clung to, and she nodded. Then, tentatively, he took my hand and walked towards me. I smiled down at him, and he returned the smile.

"Very well then. You have met your charges and taken necessary actions to help better defend them. Bring them safely home, then return here." We knew a dismissal when we heard one. We bowed to the Hokage, and then led the children out. It took the better part of ten minutes to get all of us to the gate. In the end, we'd taken the roof route, carrying our charges with us. Ryu clung to me, and would not let me set him down until we were back on the ground. The others were mildly alarmed at first, but calmed once they saw how easy it was walking along up here. We then ascended with them, and passed through the gate with no problem. Each one of the kids we were protecting was very wary of the forest around us, even though all of us – excluding Neji, once again – told them it would be just fine and to calm down. We tried to get them to loosen up by questioning them, finding out where each lived. Ryu and Chou lived in the Border Town. Masumi was of Tanzukugai. The other three, Akira, Kana, and Aiko lived in Otafukugai. As the hours passed and we chatted, seeming calm, the others managed to relax. Ryu even was calm, though we of Team Gai were always on guard, paying attention to the forest around us more than the children within our protective borders. Gai was at the front, Neji the back. Tenten was to the west, Lee the east, and I was in the middle with the children. The children that were specifically chosen walked closer to their guardian than me, but Masumi stuck close to me as we walked.

Neji was using his Byakugan; one glance behind me verified that. The rest of us were alert for any enemies that might possibly be coming to attack, but we were almost positive that none would get past Neji's' watchful eyes. It was many hours until sundown, but we were already far from Konoha. We didn't expect an attack for another couple of days, when we were extremely far from Konoha. However, a noise from Neji made us think differently.

"Five people travelling with a cart are straight ahead." He called to us, and though I knew he would keep vigilant on the area around us, I couldn't help but stay hyperaware of the forest around me. We knew of the cart, so why worry about it. We would eventually reach it, and reach it we did. First, they were nothing more than a cloud of dust, then slowly the dots became people and a cart. They looked fit, but so did any farmer or traveler. We moved to the side of the road to let them by. They nodded at us in thanks. Once they'd passed us, we moved back onto the road. Neji kept his pale orbs on their retreating figures. Even after they were out of my sight, he stared on. After some time, he stopped gazing at the distance, only glancing back to keep tabs every so often. There was nothing else worth noting that happened today.

We found a clearing just off the side of the road an hour before sunset. By then all the children, including the shy Ryu, were complaining of exhaustion. Gai-sensei, Neji, and I stayed in the clearing with them while Tenten and Lee searched for water and food. The only reason why I wasn't sent was because Ryu had attached himself to my hand and would _not_ let go for anything. I sat next to him in the group of children, and soon my teammates returned so we could have fire and water. The gloom of the night washed over the forest, and the children scooted closer to the food, munching on food that had been provided to them. Each of us had brought something, me with the energy bars, Tenten brought these bars that could be put in water and made into a soup. Lee and Gai-sensei both brought dehydrated foods and Neji had preserved meat. It wasn't much variety, but it was better than nothing, right? While they were eating, Gai-sensei stood, and my teammates and I all turned our heads towards him instantly.

"We are now in camp, my youthful students!" He exclaimed. "Tonight we will begin the nightshifts. There will be five, one for each of us. The times of the watch will always be the same, and will be as such: first shift is from nine to eleven, second will last from eleven to one, third is one to three, fourth will be three to five, and the fifth will be from five to seven. Each night we will change shifts. Tonight, our order of watch will be Neji, followed by Tenten, myself, Maia, and then Lee. You will ensure no one attacks us while we sleep and that the children are all safe in their beds. If there is to be an enemy, you are to sound the alarm immediately. Any questions?"

"No, Gai-sensei!" We replied dutifully. I began eating one of my bars, passing one wordlessly to Tenten. Her bars were not as tasty in their solid form as they were in soup, and I'd only eat one dry if the situation was dire – and the situation would have to be pretty damn dire at that. By the time we were done eating, the kids were falling asleep. Ryu was still clinging to my hand, even in sleep. I laid down where I was, using my pack as a pillow – carefully of course. It seemed too short a time before Gai-sensei was waking me up. His usual loud, booming voice was quiet as he whispered to me.

"It's your watch, Maia. Remember, Lee is next." I nodded, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I tried to get up, but I felt an unusual weight pulling me down. I looked to see that Ryu had moved in his sleep, clinging to me. He was a very possessive child. Just what I needed, but I'd picked him so I'd have to suffer with the consequences. I sighed softly and detached his arms from my body and rose, stretching my muscles. I left my pack where it was, since I was pretty sure Ryu could not damage any of the items within. Then, I went to the water pail, where I pulled a dipper of water out. I sipped it and replaced it, then took my post. I chose to sit in a tree overlooking the clearing, and did my best to look like I was asleep with my eyes open. At one point, the bushes rustled and I glanced towards it, alarmed, but it was nothing more than a rodent of some kind. It scurried away into the darkness, and I was alone. The watch was a long two hours, but I got through it and woke Lee before gratefully lying back down against my pack next to Ryu. I was awakened by Gai-sensei's bellow, rolling onto my stomach and standing quickly, glancing around. He had that affect on people. There weren't any problems, he was just waking us up, but there had been plenty a time that that same voice had woken us in an emergency. The other children were staring about themselves with bleary eyes and we got ready for a new day. After eating and changing into a new set of clothes, we moved on.

This day, and the day after were much the same. We passed by many travelers, we saw many animals, such as deer and squirrels. There was a lot of dust and the sky was clear. It wasn't until the third day, when we were still three days from the first drop point, that we had any problems. The day started as normal. We woke, ate, changed, and moved out. Hours passed, we got into the same pattern as always, staying alert, but without as much feeling into it. When Neji hissed softly, we all – well, the four of us that were on his team, since the kids didn't hear it – stiffened and were on red alert.

"One left, two right, and two behind. Coming in fast." We had no place that was easily defensible, so, we pulled the children in the middle of us, but there were gaps between each of us, for there were more children than there were squad members. Ryu and Masumi whimpered softly, but that was the only noise from them. The rest of us were preparing for the inevitable battle. I pulled a paralysis kunai out while Tenten pulled out a fistful of shuriken and two exploding kunai. Neji, Gai-sensei, and Lee each got into their own tai-jutsu fighting stances. I glanced around, wary. From where I stood and where Neji reported they were, two should be coming my way. I slid another paralysis kunai out, along with a couple shuriken. And, as we waited for, the tree ahead of me to the right began to move slightly, as well as the bushes before me, and I knew there was someone there, for the rustling was unnatural. Too bad we couldn't find a cave or something; it would have made fighting easier. Now, we all had to make sure no one got past us, and if they made it that far, that they didn't get out with a child. Then, it all happened fast.

Three kunai were in the air, in my sight. One towards me, two angled to go past me. I deflected two of them with a shuriken each and then blocked the one flying at me with a kunai, throwing a shuriken towards where I'd seen at least one of them come from. A shinobi leaped out of the bushes, dodging the weapon, straight towards me. I held my kunai at the ready, hoping to graze him at the very least. It only took one scratch below the skin to do damage, to make the poison work. I heard noises behind me, children squealing in terror, but I had to let that slip away, to concentrate on the matter at hand. He threw a punch at me, which I deflected. I attempted to pull his legs out from under him with my own, but ended up falling myself. The man made to leap over me at the children – the closest being my own charge, Ryu – but I grabbed his foot and pulled him to the ground. I lashed out with my kunai, and I met cloth. Before I could reach the skin, he'd pulled away, dancing away from my deadly weapon. I rose, glancing around. I made sure there were six children, uncaring if my comrades were alright or not, because I knew they were doing just fine. Each of them would have their own battle; there was five shinobi in all, right? So, we were fine.

The man tried to catch me off guard, but I wasn't having any of that. He threw a handful of shuriken at me. I couldn't dodge, they'd hit the children. So, I pulled out a second kunai and deflected four. One embedded itself in my right shoulder, and two in my left arm that I'd lifted to defend myself. I winced, but I had no time to yank them out, for he was rushing me. I barely blocked his kunai reaching for my throat, and even then it almost broke through, that was how much force he'd used. I stabbed at him with my other kunai, and he dodged, making the pressure on his kunai uneven. I used that to push it away, slashing at his face. It was then that I found out a new fact. There weren't five enemies.

There were six. The only reason I'd even noticed was because as I shoved the man away, a woman had been jumping past in the trees. That wasn't good; no one was on guard for her. The children were in danger, and I was in no position to stop her, I was having a bit of trouble with my current opponent.

"There's a sixth woman in the trees!" I called out, pitching my voice to rise above the clang of steel against steel, the grunts of the fighters, and the whimpers of the children. The man before me lunged as I yelled, and knocked me down. My arm with the paralysis poison was pinned down, but he'd missed my other arm. His weight pressed the shuriken deeper into my flesh, causing me to cry out in pain. The man grinned at my anguish and pressed harder. I saw his kunai winking in the light above me; he was going to end it. Well, that's what he thought. I reversed my blade so that the point was pointing towards the sky. Before he could realize what I was doing or attack me, I hit him in the back of the head with some power. His eyes rolled back into his head and his full body weight collapsed upon me, his arm falling limply to his side, harmless. I pushed him off me and glanced around, pulling the shuriken out of my arm. Neji had finished off his already and was helping Tenten with hers. Gai and Lee were fighting their own. I only saw two on the ground. Where was the sixth? I looked at the children, and counted. One, two, three, four, five… where was Chou? I glanced around wildly. She was missing, taken.

"Lee! Where's Chou?" I called. He glanced towards me, and I could tell that he hadn't been able to save her – he hadn't even known she was gone. "I'm on it." I yelled out. I tapped my ear as I pulled out a headset. Gai-sensei had handed them out at the beginning of the mission, one for each of the team members .They were set to channel three and could extend for many miles. He nodded once, and took a kick to the gut for his trouble. I turned away as he did, and I glanced about again, a little calmer. I checked the ground – we were on a dirt road after all. There, I found a path of heavier footsteps, footsteps that showed the person was carrying something a bit heavier than usual. It led to the trees, and I followed it. Then, there were faint marks around me of a person passing. Broken twigs, leaves scattered, dirt trails, and impressions on bark. I followed these quickly, only stopping whenever the trail was hard to spot, but I figured it out by scanning the whole area, finding where the trail picked back up. I heard a noise over the radio – someone else was tapping into the channel.

"Keep going straight, Maia. She's dead ahead." Neji's voice filled my ear, and I smiled slightly. He always knew exactly what was needed. "Thanks." There was no reply, and I didn't need one. I continued straight as he'd told me, moving quicker now, knowing that I had a backseat driver to help me out. Every so often he'd whisper a new direction, a turn that the person had taken. I did ask, as I was running, what had happened back in the clearing. He gave the all clear. The children were shook up by Chou's disappearance, but the enemies were taken care of. All that was left was the one I was pursuing. I wondered aloud why no one else was on the radio and why no one was following me. He just told me that everyone knew I could handle it, that all I needed was his extra help. Well, good to know they trusted me. I picked up the pace; he told me that they were no more than about thirty yards ahead. The woman thought she'd shaken us, stole one of our children. He warned me to slow, that it was just ahead. I needed to use stealth and creep up on her, to use surprise to my advantage. I nodded and slowed, moving silently. She would never know what hit her.

"Well, little one," I heard her voice before I reached the clearing. "You'll fetch a good price, you will. Hey, hey, none of that. Don't want to ruin your precious face with tears, do we?" No, of course not I thought to myself. After all, all you're doing is stealing her from her family and life to sell to a person she'd never met, and probably would never like to meet anyway. I was above the clearing now, and I could see that Chou was crying softly while the woman looked upon her new charge with glee and malice. What a horrid woman. I silently pulled a paralysis poisoned kunai out as I maneuvered behind her. Then, with no further ado, I pushed off the branch straight at the woman. The leaves rattled softly, as if pushed by a wind, and that was all she needed. The woman leapt over Chou to face the tree that I'd just jumped from. I landed where she'd just been standing. Chou's eyes widened, but I ignored her. I had no time to focus on her.

"Chou, go sit over by those trees please. That's a good girl." I said, gesturing to the side with one hand. Chou obeyed without any arguments, and instead of standing, she crawled over, so that if anything flew across the clearing she'd not get hit. What a smart girl she was. I'd tell her that later. No time now, the woman was picking something out of her holster with a grin. I pulled a second kunai out, one of the sleeping poisons. I didn't want to kill her, even if my conscience would let me kill her in front of Chou. I'd just incapacitate her and get out of there. She threw two kunai of her own at me, and I dodged easily. I tried looking slow and tired as I did it, a weakling that she could easily overthrow. Her eyes betrayed her silent glee as she saw how slow I was. After all, I was just a genin. Fighting off her comrade must have tired me quite a bit, right? Wrong, but she couldn't know that. The woman darted towards me quickly, pulling out a third kunai. I blocked with one of my kunai – the paralysis one, I noted vaguely. I stabbed out with my sleep poisoned one, which she of course dodged. I slid my kunai that was deflecting hers to compensate for the weight change, when an idea hit me.

I slid the kunai more, and sliced her fingers as I pulled away. She glared at me, but figured they were a minor wound inflicted by a young opponent. I probably thought that a wound like that would be pretty painful because I was young and such, of course. Well, it wasn't going to be painful. Actually… it would be quite numb, no pain at all. She obviously didn't notice that her wounds had no feeling after a second. It was funny. It would take time for the poison to spread, but I didn't want to hit her with the sleeping poison as well. I didn't know what would happen if the two intermixed. So, I threw it at a tree and pulled a second paralysis one out. I stabbed out at her with it as she came at me again. She dodged and I feinted at her with my right kunai. She dodged as I expected and I slashed at her arm. She took the blow, but not without giving me a pretty good gash in my left arm. It started below the elbow and stopped about two inches below my wrist. I pressed my kunai against the wound and was pleased to feel it begin to numb. I'd stick myself with the cure in a moment. She was going to be getting pretty slow here in a second. Wait, I take that back. She was already staring at her hand and arm, wondering why she could no longer use them. Now she couldn't use her other arm if I was right. The kunai dropped, proving my point. I slid my pack off my back and opened it, keeping one eye on her. Then, I pulled all the clothes out and dumped them next to the bag.

I stopped there to throw my kunai at her while she was distracted. It clipped her – my aim was off. The poison was affecting me faster than I'd expected. Still, it had drawn blood, which was all I cared about. Her leg would be useless in a moment. I knelt next to my bag now, feeling through it without looking. I pulled my protective case out and set it on the clothes before opening it. I then scanned the bottles quickly. My whole left arm was useless now, I needed to work quickly. The woman screeched at me and tried to run at me, but fell over as her leg proved to be unable to move. It would have been funnier if I had the time to laugh. I found the cure and pulled the cork out with my teeth. I then carefully poured a very small amount on my arm and then drank a portion of what was left. I then held the glass between my knees and pressed the cork back in carefully. Once I was sure it was wedged properly, I looked up at the woman, who'd I'd tuned out. She was still on the ground. I quickly replaced the items into my bag and closed it one handedly. My arm was still numb, slowly becoming pins and needles. It was faster if you injected the whole cure into your bloodstream, but I didn't have a needle to do so. This would have to do. I slung it on my back, taking an extra second to get my other arm into the strap.

"It was so nice meeting you." I told the woman. I glanced over at Chou and saw that my sleeping kunai had hit the tree about a foot above her. Oops. I grabbed that and my other kunai that I'd thrown before putting my three kunai back into my pack. I'd clean and re-poison them later.

"Chou lets go." I told her, gesturing with my right hand. I'd carry her when my other arm was reliable, but for now she'd have to walk. We made our way through the trees. I knew Neji could see me, so I didn't bother reporting in over the microphone. I kept it silent, in case there were more nut jobs in the forest that I needed to know about. About a minute of walking passed before I could lift the girl safely. Then we were traveling faster. She closed her eyes and buried her face in my chest. I assumed she was afraid I'd run into a tree or something. Nice of her.

"Good job back there." I told her, trying to distract her from her fears. "You listened and didn't complain or anything. Make sure you always do that, alright?" I told her. She nodded, and when she looked up I saw that she was crying again. "Come on, what's the matter?" I asked, some impatience showing in my voice.

"I-I just w-was so afraid that n-no one would save me. I didn't t-th-think anyone would be able t-t-to find me, b-but you did. I-I'm just s-so happy." I sighed. Of course she was so happy. After all, she'd been taken about a mile away from where we originated by some psychopath that wanted to sell her to some child molester. Well, I didn't know that last bit for a fact, but it was very likely. Who wouldn't be scared that she wouldn't be saved a second time? I gave her a smile that I hoped was reassuring.

"Don't worry, Chou. You'll make it home with us." It was then that I remembered that my arm was bleeding profusely, as I stumbled on a branch, my vision blurring slightly. I instantly let us drop, and Chou screamed shrilly, afraid that we were about to die. I slowed our descent by landing on some branches, but once we were on the ground, I set her down gently and sat down. Her clothes had my blood on them, which had slowed the bleeding some. I was breathing heavily now.

"Neji, send me backup, please." I murmured into the radio, trying to shrug the backpack off.

"What's the matter?" He demanded instantly.

"Blood loss. There's no way I can carry her back, and if something decides to attack I'm not so sure how well it'll turn out." I told him.

"Alright, Lee's incoming." I nodded as I heard a third radio connect into the channel. I immediately tuned out the conversation that began over the channel; I had other things to do.

"Okay." I turned my attention to Chou, who stared at me with horror. Let me rephrase that, she stared at my arm in horror. Well, it was bleeding pretty badly. I pressed my right hand against the wound, slowing the bleeding minutely. "Chou, open my bag and find me a roll of bandages in my bag." When she didn't move, I glared at her. "Chou! Stop staring and get a move on please. I'm slowly dying as we speak." That knocked some sense into her, and she stumbled over to my bag, where she opened it. Then, she pulled out some of the shirts and undergarments, setting them aside gently. Below those were bandages, which she pulled out and offered to me. I accepted them with my bloody right hand, which she shied away from the instant she could. I sighed.

"Pull a kunai out of my holster in there. Make sure you don't touch the blade, only the handle. Be sure that you only grab a kunai that has a blue or yellow cloth tied to the end. Stay away from the green ones." I didn't need to accidentally stab myself with the deadly poison, and if she cut herself on one of the ones I'd told her to grab, it would be pretty harmless. If she stuck herself with the other one, I doubted my ability to save her. So, I unraveled the bandages and quickly wrapped them around my wound, wrapping it tightly to put enough pressure to slow the bleeding until we got back to the others, where I could get somebody to help me clean and wrap it properly. Chou passed me a kunai with a knot of yellow silk attached to it, which I used to cut the bandage. I hoped that none of the poison passed on to the bandage, because I'd be in a pretty bad state if it did. Then, I tucked it underneath the bandage, securing it for now. Lee came into the clearing at about that time.

"You okay, Maia?" He asked. There was a slight look of concern on his face. I nodded slightly as I went to repack my bags quickly with my right hand again. After a moment of thought, I ate one of the soldier pills I had before placing it back into my pack. Once everything was secure, I tried to pull the bag onto my back, but I found it was more difficult when I could feel my wound. Lee helped me out, and once I was ready, he lifted Chou. Then, we were off again. My pace was a lot slower than usual, seeing how my body was affected by the blood loss. However, it was faster than it should have been, because of the pill I'd eaten. It took us about ten minutes to reach camp, all in all, but it was the longest ten minutes I had ever endured.

* * *

Woo, cliff hanger. They're fun, and I use them often. I'd like to get a few reviews from you guys before I continue posting my stories. Alright? Thanks. - **.Eyes**


	3. Deadly Encounter

So, I thought I'd add another chapter, in hopes that others may start reading. I'll try to update once or twice a week if I can, and if I have some mild encouragement. It'd be nice to know that my work is appreciated. =]

* * *

**Chapter Three** – _Deadly Encounter_

Once we arrived in the clearing, my adrenaline rush died, leaving me leaning against a tree. I felt pale, and when you feel pale, you know you're pale. Tenten moved past Lee and Chou to come help me. I leaned against her gratefully and she pulled me into the camp that had been made. Once we reached the actual camp portion of the clearing, she helped me sit down. Then, she pulled out her own kunai and began to cut the bandages off. They were already getting too loose to help anyway. While she did so, I let the pack drop off of my right shoulder so I could dig through it while it sat on my left shoulder. I produced the bandages, which I let fall next to her. When the bandages were all off, I carefully slid the bag off of my shoulder and down the arm, using my right hand to keep it away from the blood. Then, Tenten took over again, wrapping the bandages tight around my arm. I bit my lip to keep from complaining and crying out. The others were milling about the clearing, waiting for Tenten to finish with my arm. Once we were done, we'd have to head out. It wasn't dark enough for a camp yet, and the enemy had just struck near here. They knew this area well enough now that it was unsafe to stay here.

It didn't take long to for her to bandage the wound. It had bled a lot, and it was as bad as it felt, but not nearly as bad as it looked. As she did so, I felt the eyes of the others on me. I glanced around lethargically, noticing all the children staring. I glared at them all, and only Chou and Kana glanced away. The others either ignored my glare, or didn't notice. Once Tenten was finished, I shifted the arm experimentally and winced. Well, that was great. I carefully rummaged through my bag, Tenten helping me by pulling the clothes out of the way. She knew what I was going for, but she didn't know what to look for.

"Future reference, the healing vials look like this." I told her, holding up the vial. It was completely clear and was about two centimeter wider than a test tube. It was filled with a clear liquid, and the cork had a green dot in the center. I opened it up and offered it to her to smell. She took a cautious sniff, and I nodded, pleased. A large whiff of some of these potions would knock someone out if they weren't careful.

"It smells fruity." I nodded again, before pulling the vial to my lips and drinking half of it. Then, I re-corked it. I repacked it and closed the rack's protective box. It had never left the pack, so I just let Tenten pile the clothing back in neatly. I stole the small sack of soldier pills from her and ate one, tucking two more into my kunai pouch. It was probably bad to be misusing the pills like that, especially after the potion, but I couldn't take chances. I needed to keep up, because we couldn't wait. Unlike before, we were in a hurry. So, there was a change in the schedule. Seeing how Neji wasn't taller or much heavier than Akira, it was decided that he could not carry him for as long as we needed to move. So, he and Gai traded their charges for the time being, causing Neji to carry Kana. I was carrying Ryu, thankfully, and he wasn't much heavier than my pouch. He wore my backpack, which I cinched tighter to cling to him, and then carried him on my back. Tenten did the same for Aiko, and I saw Neji and Lee helping their charges begin to fix their packs. They were heavy, I knew mine was, but with Ryu clinging to me, and I to him, there wasn't much pressure of it on him, more like it was on me, and he was merely the medium for it to travel through. Akira and Masumi proved to be a slight problem, which Gai fixed easily. Akira was to wear the pack and ride on his back, while Gai would carry Masumi in his arms. The four of us on his team knew he was deadly enough with his legs to not be worried about him being unable to use his arms as freely. That was another reason why the others weren't carrying them in similar fashion. Now, as ready as we could be in such a short amount of time – it had only been about six minutes since Tenten had fixed my arm! - we left.

Now, I will tell you one thing. Running through the trees isn't as easy as you think. Sure, it wasn't that hard, but it did take some concentration to make sure your foot hit a branch instead of thin air. Running through the trees with an arm sliced from wrist to elbow isn't easy either. The pain caused by every jolt was horrid, though it could be worse if I were on the ground. You see, the tree branches bent slightly and softened the blow. The ground wasn't nearly as kind. Even running through the trees with a kid on your back wasn't that hard, for slightly similar reasons. However, running through the trees with a sliced up arm _and_ a kid on your back was killer. My arm ached from having to constantly brace him and keep him from falling, because he was holding a very heavy pack which I couldn't entrust to anyone else. I had to keep it near me, because I was the only one who knew _exactly_ what was inside, and where. I felt bad for the little guy, but he was the only one light enough to not burden me as we ran. We ran pretty far, too. I mean, not nearly as far as we could if it had been just us, but much further than we had by just walking. I knew we wouldn't do this often, though. It was killer on our stamina, and I could even tell after a few hours that it was tiring Gai-sensei, though he'd never admit it.

We'd packed up at approximately one in the afternoon, and ran until about an hour before dusk, so, a good five hours run was all we could take. It wasn't me that finally asked to stop, though I was extremely grateful for it. No, it had been Tenten, who was panting and sweating. Neji and Lee were in no better shape. Gai-sensei was sweating and his breathing was a bit faster than normal, but I knew he was tired. He nodded, and we'd begun to search for a suitable place to stay. It didn't take long, not with Neji's Byakugan. It was near a river too, thankfully. I kneeled slowly, carefully so I didn't pitch forward and land on my face, and let Ryu slide down. Then, I turned quickly before he could fall from the weight of my bag. I had very little energy, and I used a bit of it up making sure he didn't break anything. If one were to crack, let a drip out, I'd have to throw out many of my things. All of my clothing near the drip and all the herbs. It would not be good, especially if he broke some. The glass wouldn't pierce through the bag, so he'd be safe, but I'd be royally screwed. Better not to take the chance and be more tired. I helped him slip the bag off of his shoulder, wincing as I had to use my left arm. Then, once it was safely off of him, I set it gently on the ground, out of the way so no one would trip over it. I saw the others making the camp. Neji and Tenten were nowhere to be seen, so I supposed they were getting water and kindling.

I went to Tenten's packs and searched through them until I found the food blocks she'd brought, along with a small pot to cook it in. It would hold just barely enough to feed all of us, which was good enough. Usually, with only five of us, we'd be able to eat with enough for a hearty breakfast. Now, we'd have to ration out everything, but it should be enough. As I was repacking her things away, she returned, carrying a bucket of water. She stared at me for a moment, but when I waved the items at her, she nodded. It wasn't usual for us to go through each other's things, but we needed to get food. I unpacked the bars and broke them into small pieces before dropping them into the pot. Tenten brought the pail over and poured some of the water inside, until it was just barely empty enough that I could carry it without spilling. It was already dissolving into soup as Neji brought in firewood. Once it was blazing, we set some strong branches to hold it and let it cook. The children looked tired and were constantly glancing at the shadows. I didn't blame them, really.

"Alright, my students, I have an announcement!" Gai called out, standing. We all looked up at him, expectantly. "Tonight, our watch schedule will be as such: I will take first watch, Neji will take second, followed by Maia, Lee, and then Tenten. Any questions?" He barked out. We shook our heads and replied with a cry of "No!" About fifteen minutes later the soup was warm enough to eat. I took my portion and ate it quickly. Then, after I wiped down the bowl with a damp cloth – a bandage, actually – I curled up against my pack and fell asleep.

I groaned softly when Neji shook me awake. I tried to push his hand away feebly with my good hand, but he wasn't having any of that. He evaded my hands and shook me awake with one hard jerk.

"Alright, alright. I'm up." I muttered, glaring at him through gro0ggy eyes. He watched me as I stood slowl and stretched. I scanned the camp quickly. The girls we were escorting were in sleeping in a bunch near the fire. On the opposite side was Akira. Near me, within arms' reach was Ryu. Tenten was sleeping against a tree, while Gai and Lee were actually in the trees. Neji, once I was functioning with more than a fourth of my brain, went to sleep at the base of a tree as well. I climbed a tree near my sleeping area and hid myself, keeping myself aware of what was going on around us. There were a lot of the usual forest noises – hoots, quiet tweets, rustles in the wind. Nothing unusual, and my watch went by without a hitch. It wasn't long until the moon told me I could wake Lee, which I did happily. My arm still hurt and my head was beginning to as well from the exertion of the fight. Once Lee was moving around properly, I went back to my pack near Ryu and fell asleep with no trouble.

The next morning we had a few more minutes to get ready. I had Tenten help me fix my bandages, since I was having trouble wrapping the large wound with one hand. I could have managed it if I had more time – and if there weren't six pairs of eyes ogling my wound. Once it was wrapped in a clean bandage, I asked her where the stream was.

"Through those trees over there, about two minutes walk. You'll hear it pretty quick." She told me. I nodded at her and grabbed my pack and the dirty bandages and made my way through the camp to the trees. Sure enough, about two minutes later I was standing next to a stream. I dipped the bloody bandages into the water and began to gently scrub them, getting all the blood I could out of them. Never waste bandages – you'd run out way too fast. Use them until it would be hazardous to continue. Once they were as clean as I was going to get them, I tied them to the side of my pack, making sure that they were secured properly so that they wouldn't trip me if we had to run or fight, so that they could dry. After a thought, I decided to change clothes. These were icky with blood, sweat, and who knows what else. I kicked the sandals off while digging my clothes off and quickly changed shorts. As I was in the middle of dropping my soiled shirt, I heard a yell in the clearing. I clutched my shirt in one hand, scooping the kunai pouch up with the other. I fastened it on as I hurried back, unable to tug the shirt on and not run into a tree. I burst into the clearing to see the goons we'd fought the day before in the clearing. Well, no time to get dressed. This day was getting better by the second.

One of the guys was trying to grab one of the children, but I pulled out a kunai that by feel had the paralysis poison on it, and threw the blade quickly, catching him unaware. The kunai buried itself into his shoulder, and he only had time to turn his head to look, and make a feeble attempt to grab the kunai before he froze. Masumi, unaware that she was still in danger, looked over at me in gratitude. She was baffled when I ran at her and tugged her out from the falling man, yelping in surprise as I jerked her into my arms. I set her down near Akira as I scanned the clearing. Gai and Lee were taking on three and succeeding. Tenten had the female and Neji had one of the other guys. Mine was down for the moment, and for who knew how long he'd stay there. I'd never had a chance to test the poison. I gathered the children into one central location, kunai in my hand, gazing warily around me. The third one that Gai and Lee were fighting managed to break away and was making a lunge for Akira, who happened to be the closest. I got there first – being closer and all – and blocked his attack with the kunai. Unfortunately, it was with my bad arm, and he almost overpowered me. However, as he was pressing down against my arm, Lee kicked him in the back, taking him down. Well, with luck being against me today on all accounts, the man was thrown into me, knocking the wind out of me as well as gaining me a few shallow scrapes on my back from the terrain below.

Lee hauled the man off of me and I pulled myself up off the ground to once again look around. They were all down, knocked out for the moment. Excluding still the man I'd paralyzed. Gai cleared his throat.

"Uhm, Maia. Please put some clothes on." It was only then that I realized that I was only wearing a bra and some shorts. I blushed and stammered an excuse while moving to where I'd dropped my shirt. Then, I disappeared back into the forest, where I went to the stream to gather my things from where I'd left them. I took the damp bandage and wiped my back down gently before re-rinsing the bandage off in the stream quickly. My back would be sore and the shirt would chafe slightly, but it would heal pretty quickly. I pulled a new shirt on, tucking the soiled clothes to the bottom and far back of the pack. Then, I walked through the forest back to the clearing while pulling some energy bars out of my bag. Finally, I put the pack onto my back and began to eat one of the bars, tucking the other into the waistband of my shorts. I pulled out a kunai with yellow silk tied to it and went to the round up of the enemy. I nicked each of them at the base of the neck, just below the collarbone. The blood would move the poison around quickly, keeping them knocked out for about thirty minutes.

"They're poisoned." I announced to my team. Gai nodded and I finished my bar, putting the wrapper into my pocket. During the time that I was cleaning up and poisoning the enemy, the others had dismantled the camp. The fire's ashes had been spread, making it as impossible as we could to trace our movements, though with them unconscious in the clearing, it seemed almost pointless. Everyone's bags were packed and the children were standing in a huddle together, with the team standing nearby. I made my way to them, wading amongst the children as the others took their defensive positions around them. Ryu carefully edged closer to me and clung to my shirt hem and wouldn't let go. I was in no mood to argue with the clingy seven year-old. Gai told us we were moving on, and so we did, quickly leaving the scene. We only had thirty minutes to get away, which, compared to how fast they could travel, was no time at all. The next town and, incidentally, our first drop off site was still a good day's travel away. But they had to know that as well, which didn't give us any help in the least. If anything, they'd be waiting until we dropped off the children to swoop in and attack, which would ruin everything we'd done so far.

The children stumbled along as we hurried through the forest, making our way to the path. After Ryu nearly pulling me down twice, I scooped him up and carried him with my right arm, pressing him against my side. It was a little awkward, but it was a lot better than nearly being knocked over every couple of steps. It wasn't much longer, maybe ten minutes at the max, until we'd made our way to the path and had gotten away from the scene.

"Gai-sensei, what are we going to do? They're going to catch up with us after the poison wore off, and then we'll be in the same mess as before. They might actually get away with it this time." We all knew what "it" was, and I felt Ryu shudder against me. Gai nodded thoughtfully at Tenten's comment. Otafukugai was within reach, and then we'd be turning around to go to Tanzukugai, and then rushing out further to Border Town, we all knew that. We were sticking together because it was better to travel in large numbers. Gai pulled us to the side of the road for a quiet – well, as quiet as Gai could get – conversation.

"We can't turn back now; we're so close to this city. Three of our children are going to be left here, but we can't leave them alone, as you all well know. They may just scoop them up again, so one of us will have to stay behind." He held up five fingers, then put one down. "However, with these people so intent on getting _these_ children, for whatever reason, we cannot stay together as we have been. I suggest that we send a group of two to take the other three now and let the others catch up. That would mean two people would be defending three, which might not be the best of ideas. And then, we have to catch up after leaving these children at the town – and that's if we can fend off these attackers until we arrive. What do you say?" Gai addressed us, which was not uncommon. After all, it _was_ our lives we were risking.

"I think that's the best plan. There's no way we'll be able to keep this up if we stick together." Neji said, nodding. "I think the three that should go to the town would be Maia, Tenten, and Gai-sensei. I can watch out for enemies, and Lee can help carry the children faster." He posed. I shook my head.

"That can't work, Neji. Ryu probably wouldn't leave me for anything, if you haven't noticed. He might go into a fit, and then what will you do. I have to go with the group to the other towns."

"You can't," Tenten argued back. "Your arm isn't healed yet, there's no way you could do it."

"If our lives depended on it, I guarantee I could. My potion is kicking in and working, my arm is in much better condition, thanks. I have soldier pills." I said tersely.

"We need your poisons to incapacitate the enemy." Lee pointed out, playing devil's advocate.

"I'll leave you a handful of sleeping poisons." Gai sighed hugely.

"I believe it is decided then. Maia and Neji will leave for Tanzukugai, and the three of us will go to Otafukugai. Who will stay behind there?" Lee raised his hand, a look of determination on his face. Gai nodded. "Very well. Let's get set to go, we only have a few minutes left."

"Tenten, please come help me wrap my arm again while I get the poisons out." I asked, polite as ever. She nodded and took my arm, cutting away the bandages quickly. When she released my arm, I slid the pack off my back and kneeled, causing her to kneel next to me as she fished out bandages. I took my soldier pill pouch out and tied it to my belt, making that it wouldn't spill, while at the same time I could open it at will. Then, I found my healing potions and finished off the potion from the day before. Before Tenten could bandage my arm, I glanced over. The wound was still nasty looking, but it was noticeably better. Where it had been probably seven inches, it was now five, maybe four and a half. Then, the wound was hidden by a bandage as Tenten wound it around the arm tightly and thickly, so that if it did begin to bleed it wouldn't hinder us. I found my spare kunai pouch and pulled out seven kunais with the sleeping poison. There was two for Lee and Tenten and three for Gai, which worked out fine. Once Tenten was done with my arm, I'd finished packing and was just about ready to go.

"Take these, and don't use them until you need to poison them." I told Tenten, handing her two. "Make sure you don't accidentally use them. Slice a person with a single side, don't stab, and you can poison two people with one blade." I told her. She nodded grimly as she accepted the kunais gingerly. I explained the same to the other two and then we were ready. I took a soldier pill while Neji was pulling Masumi and Chou off the road. I had Ryu in my arms. Neji and I would discuss a plan once we'd gotten away from the beaten path. We didn't say goodbye, we merely turned our backs to each other and prayed that we'd all make it out alive. I turned on my radio, and noticed that the others were doing the same. I turned it to low so that I could converse and not bother the others. The two of us forged our way through the bushes and brambles, the two girls stifling cries of pain when they fell or got cut by a branch. Once we'd gotten out of sight of the road and then some, we pulled to the side under a shady tree.

"We can't go this pace, we have to go faster." Neji whispered, and I nodded in agreement. "I need to be able to see, so I can't have a kid in my arms to block a view unexpectedly. You have to carry two." I nodded again as I set down Ryu and began taking the backpack off.

"Which one of you two is lighter?" I asked mildly while I sized them up with my eyes. I determined Chou was heavier and had her pull on my backpack with Neji's help, then climb onto my back. I did the same with Masumi, helping her onto Neji's back after pulling on his pack. Then, I scooped up Ryu.

"Let's go." He nodded, and I ran at a tree, focusing chakra into my feet so that I could run up the tree. Neji had it easy, he could just swing into the trees using his hands.

"Hold on tight Chou. This is going to be a little weird." I said, and then I was going up. I instantly felt a difference in Chou's weight. She wasn't going to make it up.

"Neji!" I called out. I couldn't catch her; I had no arms for it. Her arms released my neck, her legs were no longer around my waist. She was freefalling, and unless Neji could save her, she was toast, and so were my potions, not that that was the issue at hand. I heard a masculine grunt behind me, and I knew that she was safe. I sprinted up the tree to a good level of height, one I knew he could reach easily, and paused. Neji was soon standing next to me, Chou in his arms. I looked at the girl, and she looked absolutely petrified. I knew that I just gave her a fear of heights.

"It's alright Chou." I cooed. "You're okay, Neji's got you. Come on, the worst is over." _For now_, I added in my head. She nodded feebly, and Neji helped her onto my back.

"Now, hold on really tight with your legs, and kind of tight with your arms. Please don't choke me." I told her kindly, and I felt her legs tighten. It wasn't painful, and if that was her strongest, it was almost sad how weak she was in comparison to me – and I was a genin. We were up against adults who could break a hold five times her strength with some trouble, but nothing less would be much of a challenge. With grim determination, Neji and I made our way towards the town.


	4. Splitting Up

Alright, here's the next chapter. School's starting next week [for me, anyway], so I may forget to write/update for short periods, but I'll try to keep up to date, so don't worry too much. :) As always, Naruto and all of the characters, text, and plot information belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Tv Tokyo, though I wish that I did sometimes [just like you do sometimes]. Please review!

* * *

**Chapter Four – **_Splitting Up_

Almost eleven minutes later, maybe fifteen if we were lucky, the two of us could hear noises over the radio. The sound of steel on steel, the grunts of pain and exertion, and the panting of someone fighting with all they've got. It was not a comforting a sound. Neji kept his eyes moving, he didn't lock on to those that I was sure he could see not even two miles behind us. It wasn't until there was a soft message in the radio four minutes after the fighting occurred that we were even remotely concerned about our comrades or ourselves.

"Maia, Neji, watch out. We only have three here." It was Tenten that relayed the message, one that gave us much to worry about. I glanced at Neji, but he was already looking around, pinpointing our enemies. I think he swore under his breath, but I can't be for certain.

"About seventy yards south east of us is one. Two hundred yards south west are the other two." Seventy yards was not that far, and the two of us instantly sped up. We weren't going to get away from them, but we could pick the ground we fought on. We needed an easily defensible area, which was pretty freaking hard to do, seeing how we didn't even know what the skills of these attackers were. They could walk on air and through trees for all we knew, which I prayed they couldn't. Chances were slim that they could do so, though. Then, we found it. A large tree with larger roots was dead ahead of us. Upon closer inspection was a hollow hidden under the roots. Neji and I continued onwards though, after he confirmed it would take at least five minutes for them to arrive. We made footprints leading about ten yards away, before backtracking on our footprints. Then, we went to the tree.

We tucked the children away in the back, and I handed the two girls a kunai each. They had a blue cloth tied to the top of them, signaling the paralysis poison. They shied away, but I demanded that they take them.

"If one of them breaks through, you make sure you stab them with this, understand? Make absolutely sure that it draws blood. Even a small cut will do. Hide it so they don't see it, and if they snatch you, stab them in the back or something. This will stop them, I promise." I told them, before pushing them as far back into the little cave as possible. It was only maybe four feet deep and two feet wide, very large for a tree root cave, but I bet that some animals had helped this along from the looks of it. I pulled out two kunais with the yellow silk and passed them to Neji.

"If you have a clear shot, take it. This'll knock them out." He nodded.

"One minute." He murmured, and we took our positions. We hid in the shadows before the cave, out of sight, waiting pressed up next to each other since there wasn't much space for us to hide in. If they passed by, we wouldn't engage, we'd just find another way to Tanzukugai, but it was more probable that they'd find us. Within a minute – as Neji had said – a man burst into the clearing and then out of it, following our footsteps. We didn't see him again for a few minutes, not until after his companions had broken through the trees of the clearing. Then he jumped out and began talking to them, out of earshot. He seemed a little flustered and confused – he couldn't figure out where we were. If it were a different situation I'd have laughed, but it was pretty serious. Dead serious, in fact. We watched on, completely silent, waiting for them to make their move. They split up after a few minutes of speaking, searching for us. One of them stayed in the clearing to look around, especially around the giant tree, because it was a pretty good hiding spot.

It was then that one of the children – I don't know which one – made a noise. It was the noise of a blade against wood, so it was one of the girls, which is all the information I have. It was soft, but loud enough to alert the enemy, who were searching for us. So, they glanced around the clearing, and surely enough, they found us. We were only hiding in the shadows, nothing massively deceptive. The eye passed over us before because we made ourselves blend in more with our skill, but on second look, we were as noticeable as a crow among blue jays. The three descended upon us, and we defended ourselves. I heard Neji swear under his breath – the microphone picked it up. Tenten began to ask what the matter was over our connection, but the sound of steel against steel answered her question as I engaged the woman for the second time. We were hard put, playing the defensive when they wanted us to move away from our little niche. The children were still behind us, trapped in their little hollow. More than once the captors – each in their own turn – tried for the children hidden away when they thought we weren't looking. They rushed us, all three of them, and it was all the two of us could do to hold them back. I couldn't cut them with my poisoned kunai, though I tried, and I saw Neji doing the same. They were expecting it now, I suppose. They had to be tired though – they just fought off our team and then ran to find us. Compared to them, we were fresh. Tired people make mistakes, a good lesson to have learned. However, they had numbers on their side, and it couldn't be too long until they broke through our line. They'd get a surprise though – the children were armed too.

As I'd said, it wouldn't be long until they broke the line. Two feinted to one direction before attacking in the other, causing us to have to block or be sliced while the third leapt over us and darted into the small cave we'd left.

"Neji!" I cried in alarm, and he slid in the middle of the area, blocking the other two. He was better with multiple targets, while I was better at single targets. So, I was off to save the children again. I went after him, wanting to throw a kunai but resisting, afraid of hitting a child. One of his allies called out a warning and he turned in time to grin at me before grabbing one of the girls and holding her roughly, a knife at her throat. I didn't think he'd kill his own profit, but they'd probably kill anything for their own skin, worthless as it was. It was Masumi, and I couldn't tell if she had the kunai or not.

"Move to the side, girl." The man growled, and slowly, holding my hands up in peace, I backed out and moved away.

"Neji, he's got Masumi." I said, before the man reached out and hit me across the face. It hurt, and I hadn't been expecting it.

"Don't speak unless we tell you to speak. Understand me?" I nodded, resisting the urge to feel my cheek and figure out how swollen I'd be later. Neji, during this time, had been forced over towards me. He caught sight of my bruising cheek and frowned, before trying to lunge out at the one who'd hit me, but I pulled him back before he could be hit too. I gave him a look, and when no one could see, shook my head at him. He cooled down a bit, but he was still tense – and I knew he was curious to see what was going on. I left my hand on his arm as if I was holding him back, or something along those measures, while we huddled together next to each other, as if cowed by the enemy. I pressed my face against his shoulder, looking for all intents as if I was seeking comfort for a failure from my teammate.

"What's the matter, girlie? Gonna start crying?" The man that had hit me taunted. I ignored him completely, smirking at his foolishness.

"You go high, I'll go low, my signal." I murmured, my voice barely loud enough to be heard through the cloth of his shirt. I pulled away after a moment, looking up at him. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression. I held onto his arm. They didn't stop me from pressing against him, the idiots. I'd use it as a signal instead, the idiots. I heard a noise in the cave, and the man did too. He glanced back, and I squeezed his arm once before releasing and lunging at the man, going low for Masumi. Neji leaped over me, kicked the man, landed, and went for the cave in the time it took me to get Masumi behind me. I lunged at the man while he was down and stabbed him with a kunai, the sleeping one, and hoped it worked fast enough. Sadly, it didn't. He knocked my legs out from under me with his own and got up lethargically. He had a blade in his hand, but he was moving slower and slower. I rolled away from him and got up, ready to fight, but he was down for the count.

"Masumi, stay right there. Use this if you need it." I told her, tossing the sleeping kunai at her feet. She grabbed it and held it in both hands, huddled down at the base of the tree. I glanced around, but no one was in sight. They must have gotten to the cave while we were busy. I heard noise from the cave, so I cautiously moved towards it and peered inside. I saw the backs of the two other attackers. While they were fighting, I saw Neji defending against them. I could only assume that the two children were behind him. I snuck up behind them and knocked the legs out from under one while stabbing the other. However, the kunai I'd attacked him with wasn't poisoned, so it just pissed him off. He turned and threw a punch at me, which I barely blocked with my good arm. Neji stabbed the guy with the kunai I'd given him, then he stabbed the other. Once they lie unmoving, which took approximately a minute, he turned and grabbed the two children that were cowering behind him. I left the cave and went to Masumi, who was practically limp with relief as I grabbed her. Neji was already leaving the clearing, and I followed, messing with my radio. I pulled the mike closer to my mouth.

"This is Maia. We've knocked them out for now, we're moving towards Tanzaku Gai."

"Got it, Maia. We're entering the city now." Lee responded.

"Maia out."

The two of us, Neji and I, carried our living burdens in our arms for a bit, getting some space between ourselves and the enemy. Then, when Neji stopped a couple yards ahead of me, I slowed and stopped on the same branch, and we got the children settled properly upon our bodies – Chou on my back and Ryu in my arms, Masumi on Neji's back. While we did this, we spoke.

"I need to make a stronger poison. I can knock them out for an hour or two with my supply, I think."

"Why didn't you mention this a little sooner?" Neji demanded.

"Because, it's going to use up my store. Once I make it, what I have left will be all that I have. I'll get maybe ten kunai's poisoned with the hour or longer where I could have made maybe three times that for the thirty minutes." I said calmly as Chou settled herself.

"I see. Very well, when we make camp, you'll make this poison. How long will it take you?" He asked.

"Probably an hour. It's getting close to dark, and I don't think they'll stop tracking us after dark. After all, we're going to be "safe" when the sun goes down, right? We're just little genins." Neji smirked at that. I helped Masumi onto his back and then pulled Ryu into my arms.

"So, we need a place to stay. A small clearing or a cave maybe?" I suggested.

"Whatever we can find. A cave would be best, of course, but I don't see many places for a cave to form nearby. We might find another root-cave, but I doubt it. However, none of that is relevant if we don't get moving." I nodded, and we started off. I followed Neji, keeping myself aware of four things: following him, the forest around us, my radio, and keeping Chou on my back while balancing Ryu in my arms. I didn't have time for thoughts or talking, and neither did Neji. I doubted he was even listening for the radio, he'd be more aware of the forest around and behind us with his Byakugan. We found a small clearing just at sunset, and we set up there. We couldn't make a fire, for fear that we'd be found sooner. However, as it got darker it would be harder to see what I was doing with my poisons. I had Neji make a small dry fire, where there'd be no smoke. It wouldn't last as long, but it would last long enough for me to see what I needed and for Neji to make dinner. I quickly pulled out my bowl and herbs and quickly began to make them into the poison I knew, but much stronger. It took an hour, as I'd told Neji, and then even longer to apply the poisons to some kunais. The poison actually made it to eleven kunais instead of the predicted ten. Once I was done, I wiped it clean with some bandages and carefully tucked all of it away. I finally tied them on a bandage a few inches above the ground to dry, and grabbed my portion of dinner. It was cold, but I forced it down quickly. When I finished, Neji took away my bowl and went to clean it in a nearby stream. The children had already passed out near me. I finished off my work on the poisoned kunai's by using the same bandage that had tied them above the ground to tie on each of them, giving them the texture and color identification. White, and slightly coarser than silk, but finer than wool or linen. I finished as Neji came back.

"I'll take the first and third watch. You have second and fourth." He told me as he settled down against the trunk next to me. I surveyed the clearing, noting where the kids were. Ryu, of course, was close by to me. Near Neji, to my right, were the girls. I leaned forward and carefully smothered the fire, causing a very small amount of smoke. Finally, with all this done, I passed Neji five of the eleven kunai, keeping six for myself. I settled down next to him, my arm brushing lightly against his, and fell into a light slumber.

For the most part of the next two days, it was the same. We'd run with the children, hoping to reach the village before we were defeated. We were exhausted, but we pressed on, eating soldier pills to keep our strength up. They made a couple attempts at the children, but we managed to defeat them. The stronger kunai poisons helped quite a bit, giving us breathing space. At the end of the second day, we were rewarded for our haste, as we reached the village. A new spurt of energy helped us move forward, but we were stopped as the enemy moved into our path. I sighed. Well, once they were out of the way, we'd be home free. I went to put Ryu down, but Neji waved for me to stop. He took a couple steps backwards and began to speak quickly with me.

"Give me Ryu and take Masumi. I'll hold them here and you get the two into that village however you can." I shook my head.

"I'll use my genjutsu, it'll hold them long enough for you to get them past."

"What if they break out before I get back? They'll take Ryu and probably kill you." Was that something other than concern in his voice?

"It's a risk, but we have to take it, Neji. I'd rather have two of them safe than all three kidnapped. Just be fast, alright?" I flashed him a smile. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He sighed reluctantly.

"Fine." He moved behind me and Chou's weight was lifted off of me. I set Ryu down and handed him two of the strong poisoned kunai's.

"Ryu, I'm about to help Neji escape. I want you to go hide in some bushes behind me, and don't make any noise okay? I'm going to do something that will make me very tired, and I'll fall asleep, but so long as you're really quiet, it will be okay." He nodded, and moved behind me. I stood up and moved forward a few paces.

"Alright Neji, you'll know when." I began making quick hand signs, focusing on the enemy in front of me.

"Bloody Rose." I murmured, and imagined my foes being entangled in vines covered with thorns. It would look like I'd preformed an earth jutsu instead of a genjutsu, which should buy us some time. I focused all my energy into holding them in the jutsu, draining my chakra store, which wasn't the best from three days on the run nonstop, quickly. I sank to my knees, more out of pure exhaustion than trying to signal Neji.

"Don't you dare die."Was the last thing he said to me before his footsteps going ahead of me, and Ryu's soft footsteps going to hide. And I held, praying that Neji could get back to me quickly, because if they broke out I'd be more defenseless than Ryu. I felt my chakra depleting; I would be out soon. Slowly, with one hand, I groped for a pouch at my side and pulled it open. I grabbed two of the soldier pills out and ate them quickly, and felt some strength return. But would it be enough? I held for what felt like an eternity, but eventually, the chakra depletion became so low that it threatened my life, and I passed out. My last thought was praying for Neji to save Ryu.

My eyes fluttered open, and then shut against the light that was so bright compared to the darkness of sleep. Then, I opened them again, more cautiously, and glanced around. I was still alive, that was for certain, and I wasn't outside.

"Hello?" I called out, as loud as I could manage. The door opened and Tenten peered in.

"Oh, you're finally awake!" She exclaimed, bouncing over to my side. I stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what happened. I'd last been on the ground, hoping the enemy wouldn't kill me and Ryu as I passed out, and now I was on a bed with Tenten next to me.

"What happened?" I mumbled, trying to get my tongue to work. "Where am I? How long was I out?" I tried to sit up, and Tenten steadied me as my hand slipped on the cloth. Once I was seated up right, she began to answer me.

"Well, we heard your plan over the microphone, and we knew what would happen. Since we were pretty close to the village, we sped up, hoping to get there before you passed out. Well, we got there just as they broke free of the Genjutsu, and we fought them off. Neji arrived to help about a minute or two into the fighting, so if you had held out just a little longer, he'd have made it. We're in the village, in a guest room. Its 9:00 in the morning, you've only slept for about seventeen hours. Neji slept for almost as long. You guys must've been really tired." Tenten explained to me, and I just nodded in response.

"Well, I'm not tired anymore. More like hungry enough to eat a bear." To that, Tenten could only laugh.

"Lee and Gai-sensei are making breakfast right now. Ryu and Chou should be with them by now, and maybe Neji."

"Maybe Neji what?" The masculine voice of the boy genius answered, causing the two of us to jump. He was leaning against the doorframe, watching us with his pale eyes.

"Maybe you'll escort us to breakfast." I replied, smiling. He just nodded once, and the two of us rose, me from my bed, and Tenten from the chair next to it. The three of us walked to breakfast in silence, Tenten leading the way while Neji and I walked side by side behind her. Sure enough, once we went down a flight of stairs and through a door, we could smell and hear the sounds of cooking, with the distinctive noises that gave away Lee and Gai-sensei. We passed through the final doorway separating us from breakfast, and the three males and girl looked up at us as we wandered in. We took a seat at the table in the small kitchen as Lee and Gai-sensei began serving food onto plates. It was all food that would go bad easily, so I knew they went shopping for this. We ate breakfast quickly and quietly. Once we were finished, Tenten and I washed the dishes while the others sat around the table.

"Who is sticking behind to watch over Masumi for a time?" I asked, looking over my shoulder.

"Tenten will stay behind to watch her. She'll meet up with us here when you're finished with Ryu and Chou." Gai-sensei told us. I nodded, and looked over at Ryu. He seemed nervous and kind of worried. I shrugged it off, because who wouldn't be with kidnappers on our tail? Once I finished with my last plate and Tenten had dried it off, I walked over to Ryu and put my hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

"Ready to go?" I asked, smiling at him. He nodded once and I moved away, heading upstairs to change and pack. Well, not so much in the packing area, since I'd been asleep my whole stay. I d slept a good amount of time, but it wasn't that long, because I still had some muscle pains from our recent exertions. In my room, I shut the door and stripped quickly before rummaging through my bag for something clean to wear. I pulled on one of my tank tops and shorts, before checking my arm. There was still a scratch, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was before, and it was well enough to go without a bandage now.

Once I was dressed I shoved the dirty clothes into the pack, as far away from the clean clothes as I could manage, but they were still going to come into contact with each other. Such is life. I closed the pack and hefted it onto my shoulders, wiggling it slightly to make it a bit more comfortable. Then, I exited the room and went down the flight of stairs, where I met with Lee, Neji, Gai-sensei, Chou, and Ryu, the ones who would travel with me as we returned Ryu home. We left Tenten in the guest house, from which she'd watch over Masumi until we returned. As we left, Gai-sensei began to speak.

"So it turns out that the children that we've returned so far were from important families, ones who would pay a lot to get them back." So, the woman wasn't going to sell Chou to a pedophile earlier. A happier thought, though it was still a dark one.

"That's why they want them so much?" I said aloud. It was more rhetorical that serious, but I was answered with a nod anyway. After that, we were quiet. Chou and Ryu walked near us, Chou near Lee and Ryu on my hand, as if he were a clingy little brother. I saw some knowing smiles from women who spotted the two of us, and I merely ignored them. Let them assume what they would. After we exited the town and were out of sight of the buildings, the children were scooped up – Chou by Lee and Ryu by me – and we were on the run again. Border Town would be the furthest push. It was, as the name hinted, near the border. The trip until now had been a kind of circuit, southwest to Otafukugai, southeast – more east than south – to Tanzaku Gai, and now finally, northeast to Border Town. From Border Town we'd return to Tanzaku Gai for Tenten, before travelling northwest back to Konoha. I had my headset in, as the rest of the others did. I heard another connect and assumed it was Tenten's. Well, if she was overwhelmed by the enemies – even in the town where there was police – she'd need to be able to get word out. Lee or Gai-sensei, or both even, would go to her aid, since they were the fastest, leaving whoever was left to ferry the children along. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but you never know what may happen, so it was best to plan for the worst case scenario and hope for the best.

We were in the trees in a simple line formation. Gai-sensei led us, followed by Lee carrying Chou, then Ryu and I, and finally Neji, who scanned the area for enemies. We moved in a quick pattern, landing almost exactly on the footstep of the one ahead of us. _Thock! – Thock! – Thock! – Thock!_ was the only sound made by our passage through the forest. That, along with some slight sounds made by the children, such as a sniffle or a soft cough. They knew to be silent, taking after their protectors easily. Ryu even fell asleep at some point, his weight fully pressed against my arm and side as I carted him along. I envied the child, and I was loath to have to set him down, as I would need to if we were attacked.


	5. Innocent Blood

Here it is! Chapter Five! I know, it's super exciting. So, please enjoy. As always, Naruto doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Tv Tokyo. Please review!

* * *

**Chapter Five – **_Innocent Blood_

We had left around 10:30 in the morning, and the sun was now past its zenith, slowly moving down in the sky. It was probably somewhere around two in the afternoon when we finally stopped to rest for a bit by a cool stream. I let Ryu down, gently shaking him awake so that he could eat something, that something being an energy bar. I munched on one before pulling out a second, eating that one as well. For all that I'd had a good solid rest, it hadn't eased the weariness in my muscles or restored the strength my wounds sapped from me. I had my soldier pills, so I didn't think I'd collapse – doubtful anyway. I had stamina, it just didn't help that I was carrying a child and my pack, along with a wound on my arm. I didn't complain, and neither did my teammates. We were in this together, and we'd shoulder our burdens by ourselves when we could, but we would help each other as well if needed. None of us wanted the extra burden right now, and if I seemed to be a liability, they'd send me back to Tenten to rest. I didn't want that to happen, and I knew I could keep going, so I was safe. For now.

Neji was drinking slowly from the stream, not taking a lot in at one time so that he wouldn't be sick, so we didn't have any warning. A soft hiss and the snap of a twig was all the warning we had, and even then we almost didn't see until too late. It was only because I was turning at that time that I saw it. A few handfuls of weapons flew into the clearing. I cried out a warning, leaping to protect Chou, who was closest to me, from the knives. Ryu was a few steps away, and I yanked him behind me as well, catching a kunai in the arm for the trouble. I shoved them to the ground, crouching to defend them and make a smaller target. They hadn't been aimed anywhere in particular, they were just thrown haphazardly at us. I glanced around quickly. Neji had ducked down into the stream itself, making him almost level with the ground, Gai-sensei had two shuriken in his left shoulder, but it didn't look too bad. Lee was on his feet and running towards the bushes, where the weapons had flown from. I, and the rest of the team, turned our eyes to the forest; Gai-sensei and Neji moved to help him while I turned to check the children and make sure they were alright. At the same time, I yanked the kunai from my arm. It wasn't a deep wound, but it did sting. I turned to look straight into a man's face. It was the same guy that hit me, and I realized now I'd also fought him the day the woman had nearly succeeded in taking Chou. Great.

He grinned and shoved me to the ground, pinning me with his body before I could react. I emitted a soft grunt as my back hit the ground, completely involuntary, and hopefully someone would take notice. After all, I was supposed to be watching the kids while they fought, not really fighting. However, they seemed to be busy with what was going on, and I was sure if I spoke I'd get hit or something even worse. Time to get myself out of my mess. I wriggled, trying to free an arm, but he just pressed down harder until the air escaped my lungs and I was left gasping softly for air. He drew out a thin wire and tied my hands together tightly in front of me, before tying my ankles just as tightly. It would take some time to get out of this mess by myself. Meanwhile, he had Chou and Ryu to himself, who were just sitting there, staring at me and him, as if I could move enough to save them from the fate that they were now inevitably condemned to. He hadn't gagged me though, and I used that to my full advantage now that he was off of my chest and I could actually get a breath.

"The children!" I cried, before he whirled and slapped a hand over my mouth, snarling softly. Idiot shouldn't have left me with the ability to talk if he didn't want me to. Then again, idiots made the job so much easier. However, the blow did hurt enough to cause me to wince. I'd be bruised, and it would hurt to eat. He'd better not have knocked out any teeth or I'd be pissed. Some blood trickled to the back of my throat, which I would have spat out had he not had his hand pressed firmly over mine. I ended up swallowing it, grimacing at the thought, so that I could breathe the limited amount of air his hand allowed. His hand was removed as he was sent flying by Lee, who barely spared me a glance as he followed after him. I growled and fidgeted, trying to loosen the wire a little. Instead of the intended result, I ended up injuring my wrists, as tight wire rubbing against bare skin causes one to be cut. Damn.

"Chou, come here please." I said softly, hoping that the girl would comply. She did slowly, glancing around warily as if someone was going to stop her. For all she knew, someone was.

"Open the left-most kunai pouch on my hip and pull out a blade for me, please." The left holster held my non-poisoned kunai's, and as such I'd be able to have her cut the wire without the fear of being poisoned by something. She did as I asked, holding the blade awkwardly, unsure of what to do with it.

"Cut the wire on my wrist." Chou hesitated, afraid to cut me. "Just do it! Don't worry about cutting me, alright? I just need to be free of these stupid things." She nodded woodenly and carefully brought the blade to my wrists, placing the tip against the wire, the cool metal barely touching my skin. She drew it towards my hands, pressing hard, almost struggling to bring the blade through the wire. However, she did the job, though she did leave a thin cut on my lower arms from the blade. Whatever. I was free. I took the blade from her and thanked her, before cutting my ankles free of their bonds. As I stood, I noted that the battle was just about over. Lee was done with the guy that had attacked me, and I could see that Neji was teamed up with Gai-sensei to finish the last one standing. I replaced the kunai in my pouch and drew the wire I'd forgotten about until this time. I went and tied the man up, making sure the wire was tight. I tied his ankles first, since he was unconscious, before lugging him into a kneeling position and tying his hands to his ankles. Good luck getting out of that one guy. Well, it was what he got for pissing me off. I then sliced him with a sleeping poison, so that he'd be even longer in getting out.

When the others saw what I was doing, they followed suit, borrowing the wire from me. I went around, with the two children following me like ducklings, slicing the enemy with my sleeping poison. This way the others would have a larger head start than the wire or poison by itself would have given them. Shoot, maybe the wire would make them remain longer and we'd make it to Border Town. I did a mental count. Four of them were here.

"Tenten?" I said into my mike. She responded, almost surprised that I'd addressed her. "We only have four here. Be on the lookout."

"I will, thanks."

"No problem; good luck."

"You too."

With that, the conversation ended between us, and I looked around, taking stock. Neji had a bruise on his cheek. It looked like it was going to be purple, to match the one the guy slammed me with. He also had a cut in the side that I hadn't noticed before, probably from the weapon barrage. Lee had a few cuts and scrapes, and a bruise or two, but nothing serious. Gai-sensei, other than the two wounds from the shuriken he'd been hit with, and a little sweat from exertion, was no more worse for the wear than I was. I went to my bag anyway and grabbed two vials of healing potions. I took half of one for myself, handing Neji the other half after wiping the top.

"Drink this. It'll help your wounds." He nodded and downed the concoction quickly before handing the tube back. I went to Lee and had him drink half of the other vial, and then gave the second half to Gai-sensei, who, after a slightly offended look – as if he needed anything to help him keep going! – drank the potion as well. After I packed the now-empty vials away, I repacked my bag and hefted it onto my shoulders. We had to get going now, to put as much distance between them and us as we could before dark. Even then we might not stop until after the normal first watch would be over, just to make it easier for the watch schedule.

That was, in fact, what we did. The crescent moon was in the sky by the time we stopped to rest. I had first watch too, lucky me. So, everyone settled down to rest as I watched over the camp that we had hurriedly set up. The night went peacefully, and so did the day and night after it. It seemed that the wire had helped a little bit. Neji didn't notice anyone in the surrounding areas too. We warned Tenten that the four may return to the village. Gai-sensei decided that it was too risky to leave to chance that they wouldn't, and said he'd go back. Lee would have gone, but Gai-sensei explained that with four enemies out in the woods, he had the highest chance of arriving back in the town safely. So, we were down to three. He had his mike in, and Tenten knew to expect him. Alone, he could make it back to the town before night set, so if he didn't arrive we would know something had went awry. Instead of worrying, the three of us continued. Lee took the lead, with me in the middle and Neji taking the rear. We were a day and a half away from Border Town, and should make that time if we went this same pace with no delays. So, instead of staying at the pace we were at, we sped up, to make up for any delays we may get along the way. Our footsteps were a bit louder, but there wasn't much we could do about that. We sped through the day, and when we made camp, set up a three-person watch schedule. Neji would take the first watch, Lee the second, and I the third. I settled down to sleep, and was all too soon awoken by Lee. He looked slightly apologetic, but he was tired too, and so I know he was happy to have woken me, no matter how tired I was. When the sun rose I woke everyone up quietly, and after a quick meal, we were on our way again. There were only a few more hours until we arrived there.

We arrived in the town just after noon, and decided to split up. Neji would find us somewhere to stay for the next two days and something for us to eat. Lee was going to deposit Chou at her home, and I would drop Ryu off at his. Then Neji would direct us to wherever we were to meet. I carried Ryu and he pointed the route out to me. Not too much time passed before we were standing before a house. It wasn't grand, as I had expected from the conversation with Gai-sensei a few days prior, but it wasn't tiny. It was pretty average I suppose. The paint wasn't peeling and the steps to the door weren't falling apart, so it seemed alright. I knocked on the door and, after a moment or two of waiting, the door was opened. Ryu didn't seem to terribly excited to see the woman who opened the door. He shrank back against me, and I looked up at the woman.

"Are you his mother?" The woman looked from Ryu to me quizzically, as if she wasn't expecting the two of us on her doorstep.

"Yes ma'am, I am. What happened?"

"He was recovered from his kidnappers, and we have brought him home to you." I looked down at the fearful boy. "He's been through a lot, so I'm sure his fear will dissipate with time. Until then, I hope you'll understand his clinginess. The woman nodded tersely, and I set Ryu down.

"Here's where our paths part, little one." I said to him gently. He looked up at me, and I was afraid he was going to grab onto me again. But, just then, a person similar to my age arrived behind the woman. Her hair was dark, like my own, and it was almost to her waist, where mine ended where it just barely brushed the middle of my back. She looked similar to me – and Ryu rushed past the woman who was his mother to cling to the girls' leg. The girl looked down in surprise, and then knelt to hug the boy to her chest, looking up at me.

"Thank you for returning him to us. Thank you." She seemed more relieved to see the boy than his mother. How sad. I hated to leave him here with his mother as she was, and how afraid he had seemed, but it really wasn't any of my business. So, I bowed slightly and bid them farewell. The door shut quickly and I walked away slowly.

"Neji, where am I going?" After getting directions to the inn we'd be staying in, I walked back, thinking. I'd grown attached to the little boy in the short time we'd known each other. There wasn't much I could do except walk away from him though – he had his family, and mine was elsewhere. Ah well. I made it to the inn without getting lost, and entered the room he'd gotten us. There were two beds and a couch. I settled on the couch, dozing slightly as I waited for my teammates to return. I heard faint conversation in my ear as Lee had the same conversation with Neji, and not long after the door was opening. Lee, followed by Neji, entered. Neji had some take-out barbeque, which the three of us ate hungrily. We hadn't had anything other than travel rations since almost a week ago, and they weren't the most delicious of items. After I ate, I rose from my seat, and the two glanced up at me.

"I'm going to go watch over Ryu. I have a bad feeling." I said shortly. They still looked at me quizzically, but they let me go anyway. I vowed to remain nearby him until I had to leave. I made it back to his home and settled unobtrusively in a tree outside. I passed the rest of the afternoon there, leaving only to have dinner, before returning. I decided to doze there, not wanting to leave when I had this nagging feeling that I needed to stay.

"Maia? Where are you?" Neji's cool voice whispered over the headset.

"I'm staying outside of Ryu's house tonight." I replied.

"He's home, Maia. He isn't your problem anymore." He told me.

"I know, I know, but still. Something just doesn't seem right." A sigh answered me over the headset.

"Fine. Give us a call if anything happens, alright?"

"Of course I will."

It was then, late that evening, well after midnight, that I saw someone heading towards the house. The mother had gone out earlier in the evening, and I had wondered where she had got to. It was her, and she entered the house, staggering slightly, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste. She was an alcoholic it seemed. I settled back on my branch, ready to doze off, when I heard a soft cry. I sat up, glancing around, thinking I may have imagined something, when I heard it again. I dropped off my perch silently, stalking over to the house. I walked up the wall using chakra and peered into the window it appeared the noise was emitting from, just as a cry, much louder than all the others before, erupted, followed by a thud. My eyes widened at the sight. The mother, who had seemed unthreatening now stood above her bloody daughter. She'd attacked her daughter with a knife, which now protruded from the girls' back. The mother drew the knife out and turned to the side, where I now spotted a cowering Ryu. She was going to use the knife on him, too.

Not if I could help it. I reached into my holster and grabbed a kunai, using it to shatter the window. As the woman looked up in surprise, I heard a noise on my headset as the noise had been picked up by the mike. I ignored them for now, I needed to disarm the woman.

"Miss, please put the knife down and step away from the child." I said in a commanding tone. She just sneered at me in her drunken haze and turned towards me with it.

"Get outta mah houssse," she slurred, waving the knife around threateningly. "Or you'llll be next." I smiled grimly.

"Ma'am, I am a trained kunoichi. I will ask you again to please set down the knife and step away from the boy." I kept my tone pleasant, with a commanding undertone. The woman didn't deem me a threat, apparently, and came at me. I dropped my knife and grabbed her wrist, twisting it enough to force her to drop her own as well. I then forced her to kneel before reaching into my pouch again and nicking her throat lightly with a paralysis poison. The mainstream flow would cause it to move about the body completely, incapacitating her.

"Neji, Lee, I'm at Ryu's house. Call the police or something. I think a girl is dead."

"What?" "How?" Were the two responses.

"I'll tell you when you get here; I need to check the girl." I knelt next to the girl, heedless of the blood that was now spreading around her. I felt for a pulse while I tried to staunch the bleeding with my other hand. I couldn't feel her pulse, and her chest wasn't rising. Desperate, I rolled her over and laid my head on her chest, listening. There was no sound, no rise and fall. The girl was indeed dead. I looked up to Ryu, who was still cowering in the corner. I wondered how I must look to him, having come to rescue him, and now I my hand and cheek were smeared with the blood of his sister.

"Ryu, are you okay?" I asked gently, rising slowly to walk towards him. He leaned back into the wall, wincing slightly as he did so, and I knelt before him. "Did she hurt you?" He nodded slowly, rolling up his sleeves to show some bruises on his arms. I bet there were more on his back too, the way he winced when he cowered away. "She won't hurt you, or anyone else, anymore, okay?" He nodded again, and I sat there next to him, suddenly very tired. This was all too much. What was going to happen to the kid now? He scooted forward a bit to press against my side, and I laid my arm around his shoulders gently, waiting for Neji and Lee to arrive with the police of the town.

It didn't take long, maybe five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. I heard a knock at the door, and I yelled out for them to come upstairs. They rushed in and up, pausing momentarily at the scene. A dead girl on the floor, the mother slumped to the side, unmoving, and an unknown girl with blood on her sitting next to the only other living person; it definitely didn't look good for me I'm sure. I rose slowly, letting Ryu stay where he was, and spoke before anyone else could.

"My name is Maia Haru. I am a kunoichi of the Hidden Village in the Leaves, also known as Konoha. Today my team and I entered your village to deliver two children who had been kidnapped by a group of people back to their families. Ryu," I gestured to the boy at my feet, "was one of them. He was my charge specifically. When I came to his home today to return him to his family, he seemed afraid of his mother, which put me on alert. After a short period of thinking and rest, I returned to survey the building. Tonight, maybe ten to twenty minutes ago, I heard cries coming from the house, and investigated. This woman," I pointed "stood over the body of her daughter, whom she had stabbed. She then pulled the knife from her back and turned to Ryu. I intervened then, and used a paralysis poison on her. It should fade within an hour or so. I then checked on the girl here, but she was already dead." I stood, meeting the eyes of the men who were with the police; especially the one I had noted was the leader. He nodded slowly and went to the body of the girl, checking her as well, before pronouncing her dead. He then cuffed the mother and had two of his men carry her out, as she couldn't move herself. Then he turned to me.

"Maia, you said your name was? We need to take the boy into custody. He's going to need a new home." He gestured, speaking only because Ryu had clung to my leg the instant anyone came near him. I nodded slightly and knelt to Ryu again.

"You need to go with these men. They'll find you a better home." He shook his head fast. "Don't be like that, Ryu. This is your home." He shook his head again, holding fast to my leg. "What do I have to do to get you to let go, Ryu?" I asked softly.

"I wanna go with you." I think it was the first time I'd heard him speak, other than to tell us his name and hometown. I stared for a moment, before smiling lightly.

"You can't come with me. It's dangerous, and I won't be around a lot."

"But I don't wanna live anywhere else." I sighed, and looked at my teammates, who could hear the conversation due to the mikes. Lee shrugged, and Neji was as impassive as ever. I sighed. They were no help.

"You won't see me much, since I have to go on missions. You can't go with me. Here you'll have a family that'll be there with you." Still adamant, he shook his head. I'd seen the uncanny resemblance between his sister and I, so maybe that was why he was so attached. "Fine, you win for now."

"Sir," I said with a sigh, looking up at him. "I'm going to take him into my custody and move him to Konoha." He stared at me for a long moment.

"I'm not sure if that's allowed."

"He's not going anywhere else. If you look at his sister," I pointed, "I have a resemblance to her. He's picked up on that and is very adamant on staying with me, though I tried to dissuade him." I told the man, one hand protectively around the boy's shoulders. The captain sighed heavily.

"I'll get you the paperwork." I nodded.

"May we go? I'm sure you can find us if you need us." The man nodded in return, and I rose, lifting Ryu up easily as I did. The two guys on my team split so that I could walk out before them, before following after me. Once we were away from the house, they stopped me with a hand on my arm. I sighed, expecting this.

"What are you thinking? You can't adopt a kid. Gai-sensei is going to kill you." Lee said.

"He's going to slow us down." Neji added.

"I'll carry him like I did before. And Gai-sensei will have to get in line, once my parents hear of this. What else would you have me do? Throw him to some strangers when he's so traumatized? The five of us, Gai-sensei, Tenten, me, and you guys, we were probably the nicest people he's met so far. Like I said to the captain, he's caught on to my slight resemblance to his sister, and is quite attached to me. I don't feel like breaking a seven year-olds heart any more than it has been already."

Neji scowled and stalked ahead of us, and Lee nodded thoughtfully. I walked back with him while Neji stayed ahead of us. When we arrived, I laid Ryu on the couch that I had been going to sleep on, leaving the two boys on the beds, and then laid out a pillow and curled up on the floor next to the couch.

"What are you doing?" Neji demanded.

"Trying to sleep."

"Get up and take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor." I looked up at him.

"I'm fine. You can have the bed."

"Just take the bed, Maia." He insisted.

I shrugged after a moment, and rose. "Thank you." I said softly.

"It's nothing." I went to the bed and curling up on it, falling quickly to sleep.


	6. Homecoming

Alright, so school is in full swing. Three AP classes and being swim captain is taking a lot of time, but don't worry, I won't forget about you guys! Thanks to Snow'n'Cupcakes for all your positive input. =] As always, I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Six – **_Homecoming_

The next two days weren't nearly as eventful as that first. I filled out the appropriate paperwork that turned Ryu's custody over to my family and I. He was now legally known as Ryu Haru. My parents were being sent a copy of the papers. It wasn't uncommon in Konoha to have orphaned children, if one was old enough to hold a job or be a shinobi, to care for younger relatives. I would just find a way to make it work when I was out on a mission. Maybe I could ask Tenten if her mom could watch after him. Her mom was pretty nice, I'm sure we could work something out. However, all that would have to wait until we met up again with Tenten and got back home.

We had packed last night, and so all we had to do was shoulder our bags and put on the headsets before walking out. I cinched mine tightly to my back so that it wouldn't hang loosely as the guys walked out the door, putting their headsets on as they did so. I scooped mine off the table and glanced over my shoulder at the little boy that was now my brother.

"Coming, Ryu?" He nodded and followed after me as I exited the room, shutting the door quickly. I tugged the headset into place, setting the microphone near my mouth before turning it on. You never know what might happen. With that done, I turned and lifted Ryu off the ground, carrying him in my arms bridal style to make the weight distribution even. Then I sprinted after my teammates, who were picking up their speed as well. We wanted to get home quickly. The whole trip had taken a few weeks with all the children, but we planned to get home within the week. That meant we had to move quickly. All too soon we were in the trees again, but the rest had done me some good. The exhaustion that had been present in my muscles had gone away, and I was ready for anything. My wounds were fully healed, as well as everyone else's. The trip would be easy, since we didn't have crazy kidnappers after us any longer.

We took up a line formation. Lee was in the front, setting the pace and the trail, which Neji and I followed almost perfectly. I was in the middle, once again, carrying Ryu, staying alert on the microphone for any pertinent conversation and glancing to the sides for any signs of an enemy. Neji was in the rear, covering our trail and watching for enemies. It wasn't as if there _should_ be an enemy, we were just completely wired to do this out of habit. Needless to say, the only other living creatures we saw were a few startled squirrels and birds up in the sky. We started around ten in the morning, and didn't stop until the sun was setting in the east. Neji found us a small clearing, barely one body length in width or length, so calling it a "clearing" was stretching it a bit. Lee and Neji would stay in the trees, and I was sleeping on the forest floor with Ryu. If we could have trusted Ryu not to fall out of the tree, or if Neji had found a larger clearing, we would have slept all together, but we had to make do with what we had. So, I was playing traveler, having hidden my kunai, hitai-ate, and headset in my bag. I made a small fire and got water and created a stew out of some bars I had stolen from Tenten. Once it was finished, I served Ryu and myself, before subtly setting two full bowls in a shadowed corner of the "clearing". When I looked towards them a few minutes later, they were gone. After dinner I settled down with Ryu near the fire and went to sleep, since I had third watch.

A quick, rough shove woke me for my shift. I knew it was Neji, even though I hadn't seen him, because of the schedule we'd made. I stayed where I was, lying on my side, because if anyone was watching and noted I was suddenly gone or awake, they'd find something amiss, though the soup and shove were pretty noticeable if anyone was watching. Oh well. I stayed where I was, on the hard ground, trying to stay awake, not looking forward to the long, boring watch ahead of me. However, the watch wasn't as uneventful as I'd expected it to be. Not even an hour had passed before I heard a whisper of noise behind me. Of course it would be behind me, so I couldn't see who was coming at me. I'd thought I'd imagined it, when I heard it again, closer this time. I couldn't even signal my teammates without getting caught, so I was going to have to deal with this myself. As I prepared myself to roll over quickly and spring on my attacker, something hard hit me on my skull and knocked me out.

My next conscious thought was, "My head hurts". The second one was, "I'm being carried". The final was of the night before, and all that had occurred. Without opening my eyes, still lying limp as if I were asleep, I formulated a quick plan. Without warning, I shoved my elbow into my captors' stomach, hoping to knock out his wind. However, as I was being carried, I couldn't get enough force behind the blow to make it worth anything. The next instant I was wiggling and writhing, trying to work out of their arms.

"Ow! Hey, Maia, stop it! It's me, Neji!" I opened my forest-green eyes to look up into his pale-lilac ones. He'd stopped on a branch when I'd hit him, thankfully. If he'd have dropped me… I didn't even want to think about that.

"What about Ryu?" I asked, concerned.

"Lee has him." He informed me, setting me down on the branch next to him. When he let go of me, I nodded, before wincing and nearly pitching forward. I would have fallen if Neji hadn't caught me.

"Are you alright?" He asked in that neutral tone of his.

"That guy knocked me over the head with something." I said, reaching up with one hand to feel at my skull. I found a large knot at the back of my head and winced. I felt cool fingers gently prod the knot, and I pulled my own hand away, still wincing, as Neji assessed the damage.

"Concussion, probably. We'll have to get you to a doctor." He told me. "Until then, you won't be walking anywhere."

"Are you serious?" I demanded, appalled. I didn't want to be carried anywhere. "Lemme get a healing potion and I'll be good as new. Where's my bag?" I said, trying to get out of what he was expecting of me.

"The healing potion isn't going to work miracles, though you probably should get one. Lee is carrying the bag and your potions. We split your contents up so that it wasn't too heavy on either of us, since we were also carrying you and the kid." I rolled my eyes and sat down on the branch. Lee would be here in a moment, since he had been listening in. Neji had his headset on. It was, actually, two or three seconds, and Lee had to find the potion first, and then get it to me without breaking the branch we were standing on. In the end, I ended up downing the whole thing, before realizing it was my last one. Oh well, not like there was much I could do about it. I held a hand up for Neji to use to pull me up, which he did.

"Let's get this over with." I said with a sigh.

"You're acting like I'm about to stab you. It's only for a little while. Maybe a day or two."

"Or three or four, since we have to see a doctor and then they'll probably say I can't walk because doctors love to make us shinobi not be able to move around and do the stuff we're trained to do." I muttered as Neji scooped me up and began moving again.

"Just don't fidget or block my sight, alright?" I could tell he was smirking. I sighed, resting my head against his chest.

"Of course I won't. I'll just lie here like a good concussion victim."

"You better."

"Humph." With that, the conversation died out. I noted that our speed wasn't nearly as great as it had been the day before, since they had to lug me, my bag, and Ryu along, three things they never really needed to carry before. Good thing Gai-sensei made us work out so much on our strength. I wasn't allowed to walk at all, by neither Lee nor Neji, no matter how much I tried to cajole, persuade, or beg them into letting me. Not even around the camp. Thank God it only took two days to get to Tanzaku Gai, because I may have attacked one of them. Not that I'm not grateful or anything, it just sucked.

Gai-sensei was appalled when he saw that one of his "youthful students" had to be carried along like baggage. He was annoyed when he discovered what I had done in regards to Ryu, though. All I could do was smile slightly and apologize as Neji hauled me along to a doctor. It took time, as all doctor visits did, to be seen, and even then it took awhile for them to figure out how badly that guy hit me. I couldn't walk a straight line – shoot, I could barely get one foot in front of the other without my balance going crazy. I couldn't throw very well either, not that it mattered as much to the doctors.

"You need rest, young lady." The man who was diagnosing me said sternly. "You aren't to be on your feet at all." I groaned at that, while Tenten and Lee grinned at me. "These painkillers will help until you get back to Konoha. When you get there, you need to go see a doctor again for a new diagnosis." Great. Just fan-freaking-tastic. I was stuck being carried the whole way by my team because some idiot decided he wanted to steal my stuff. I had asked Neji how they'd found me after my head stopped spinning that first day. The guy had made too much noise when going through the stuff, and he had seemed to be ready to carry off my bag and me when they awoke to the strange noises. What he wanted me for I could only imagine, and it made me shudder slightly in revulsion.

"Thanks doctor." Tenten said for me, since he was clearly waiting for a response. I wasn't going to thank him, though it wasn't his fault. It just sucked. The man nodded and led us out of the office. By "us" I meant my teammates. Neji was still carrying me. Life sucks sometimes, but I had to resign myself to the inevitable. It was going to take forever.

We ended up staying the night there, and in the morning we headed out. Tenten was carrying Ryu, Lee carried my pack, with all of its items replaced, and Neji was carrying me. He seemed to enjoy annoying me. Well, the one good – well, most would argue bad, but whatever – thing about the concussion was that it made me really tired, so I rested against Neji most of the time, the gentle rise and fall of his breathing and the sound of his heartbeat lulling me to sleep, so the time seemed to fly for me. I felt bad for my teammates who had to carry me, my things, and my new sibling, but they told me that it was alright. It seemed as if no time at all had passed before we were back in Konoha. Then again, sleeping made time seem fuzzy, especially when you had a concussion. Neji had awoken me as we entered the gates of the village, and after a brief stop at the gate to validate who we were, I was taken to the hospital. There, a medical nin examined me and preformed a jutsu on my head. The dizziness abated and the constant headache I had been plagued with ceased.

"That should deal with the worst of it. Your head should be fully healed within the next day or so." I smiled at the doctor, genuinely pleased.

"Am I allowed to walk? The last doctor wouldn't let me."

"I think you'll be able to manage now." I felt like hugging him.

"Thanks a lot!" I exclaimed, elated. Now I could go home and work on my things in peace, without a nanny. I stood up and walked after the doctor so that I could pay and leave. Neji, the only one with me, followed after me. Tenten and Lee had gone to my house to drop off my things. Tenten said she'd stay with Ryu so that he didn't hurt himself on my poisons. I might need a new house, since it wasn't big enough for two people, unless we shared a bed. When we exited the hospital, I turned to Neji.

"Thanks for carrying me all the way here. You didn't have to."

"You're my teammate. It was fine." He replied, looking away.

"You could have made Lee do it."

"I could have, but I didn't." He sounded a bit defensive. I let it go with a shrug.

"I'll see you tomorrow at training, alright?" He nodded, and I made my way home to apartment 25-B. I found the door unlocked, and I let myself in. Tenten and Ryu were in the living room. There were only four rooms in the house – those being the bathroom, my bedroom, the kitchenette, and the living room that doubled as the place I played with poison.

"Did you show him around, Tenten?" I asked as soon as my eyes had adjusted to the light. She nodded in affirmation.

"Thanks. Hey, do you think your mom would let Ryu stay over during missions – at least until I can find someone else?" I asked, walking over to my pack that was on the table. I set my clothes next to it and looked up at Tenten expectantly.

"I think so, but I'd have to check with her." I nodded.

"That's fine. I just don't know what I'll do with him. He can't come with us for obvious reasons, and I can't leave him alone."

"Sure, I'll find out. I should get going anyway. See you at practice?" I nodded, and she smiled and let herself out. I pulled out all the vials from the bottom of the bag and placed them on the desk. They were almost all empty, so I'd need to make more. After I put things away properly, I turned to Ryu.

"This is the only place that, without my permission, you can't touch." I told him seriously. "It's not because I don't like you. It's because many of the things in it are dangerous – even more so than my kunai and shuriken. I don't need you to get poisoned because of carelessness, on either of our parts. Okay?" When he nodded, I continued.

"Were you going to school at your old home?" He nodded again. "I'll get you enrolled in a school, then. Would you like to be a shinobi?" I offered. "I can start training you now, and when you're a little older I can get you enrolled into the academy."

"Are you a shinobi?"

"No. I am a kunoichi, which is slightly different from a shinobi. A kunoichi is a female who is trained in self-defense and can assume roles that a man cannot, and as such gather information. A shinobi is trained as well, and while he can assume roles, he isn't as well suited to covert operations as a woman might be." I explained easily, leaving out the part that female ninja might be called on to be seductresses. I doubted he needed to know that at his age. "Neji and Lee are both shinobi, as well as Gai-sensei."

"I don't know… I can try." He said hesitantly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm sure that you can attempt it, and if you don't like it, we'll find something else for you to do, alright?" He nodded enthusiastically. "Now, as to where you'll sleep… you can have my bed and I'll sleep on the couch. I'll look around for a bigger apartment tomorrow. I have some extra money, and I'll ask my – our – parents to send some more money. I'm sure I can get enough for a bigger home, okay?" He nodded dubiously, but I was going to do it anyway. I didn't think sharing a room was going to work in the long run.

"Now, I need to go shopping for some supplies, such as groceries and herbs for poisons. Would you like to come with me?" He nodded. "Alright, let's go." I said to him, and out the door we went.

Two hours later, and after spending quite a bit of money, I returned home with Ryu. The sun was starting to set as I opened the door and ushered him inside. I had gotten a few more kunai, more herbs and vials for poisons, and food for the two of us. I set the herbs on the desk, where I'd sort them later, along with the kunai and vials. Then I showed Ryu where everything went in the kitchen. Since my concussion was still affecting me slightly, I didn't want to risk cooking and burning the building down. Instead, I had treated us to ramen before we shopped, having avoided Naruto. Maybe he was out on a mission or something. Ryu, after the events leading up to this point of the day, was tired, and I showed him to the bathroom and then my bedroom, where he curled up on the mattress and went to sleep. I, on the other hand, went to my poison desk and sorted the herbs. I wasn't going to mix until the day after tomorrow, when the doctor said I should be fully healed. I took another healing potion that I had left here in the house and downed it, to speed up the process. After everything was finished and in its rightful place, I laid out on the couch and went to sleep.

Ryu woke me in the morning, because my alarm had gone off. I'd forgotten to set it in the living room, and he'd dutifully came and woke me. The sun was just rising when he woke me, and I knew I was running a few minutes late. I thanked him hurriedly, before rushing into my room to dress. I came out brushing my hair and told Ryu to change into some of the clothes I'd bought him. While he did that, I brushed my teeth and washed my face. When he came out, I directed him to do the same while I straightened his hair a bit. I fastened on two sets of holsters on my hip, grabbed two apples, and shoved my sandals on. After Ryu had his sandals on, I gave him an apple and we were out the door and heading towards the practice grounds.

We arrived a few minutes before Gai-sensei, thank goodness. He'd have given me extra laps for my tardiness, heedless of my injury. While waiting for him, I gave Ryu three of the kunai from one of my pouches. None of my kunai were poisoned today, since it was training. Only on special occasion did I train with the poisons, and this wasn't one of those times. I directed him to try to throw one at a nearby tree. It hit the wood, but it didn't stick like it should have. Tenten called a helpful tip while I explained what he had done wrong before he tried again. This time it hit point first, but it hung limply instead of straight out like it should have. I praised him, showing him how to throw with more force. It was at that time that Gai-sensei showed up.

"Good morning, my youthful students!" He cried, much too cheerily for the morning. However, the four of us dutifully replied with our own greetings. After the formalities, he spoke again. "In five days, the chuunin exams will be held. I have recommended you for the exams." He held out a form. "If you wish to take part in the exam, fill it out and turn it into room three hundred and one at the testing site in five days." We each took a form, as well as pens that Gai-sensei produced from a pocket in his jumpsuit – where it was I wasn't really sure, but I didn't plan to ask – and filled it them out. I tucked mine away in my kunai pouch so that I wouldn't lose it. All the while, Gai-sensei had been talking, praising us, saying how wonderful we were and that we were youthful and all the normal Gai nonsense. Lee, of course, was drinking it in like candy. Finally, he was saying something that made sense, and I tuned in again. "It won't be easy, so be ready. I know you all can do it." We all nodded, and then training commenced. Lee and I sparred while Tenten worked on her weapons and Neji fought with a dummy. Lee beat me, but it was a good fight. I lasted awhile against him, especially with the concussion. After he beat me, Neji took a turn while Gai told me how to better my skills. I then checked on Ryu, but found Tenten was working with him as she worked, so I began working with the dummy, going all out as you couldn't against your teammates.

When practice was over, we split to go our separate ways home. I took Ryu to dinner for his superb efforts at throwing kunai. After, we returned home and I brought the alarm into the living room, and I went to sleep. The next day was much of the same, except I brought a pack of herbs with my gloves, some kunai, bowls, hammer, and vials. I planned to become ready for the exams. I had a special portion of my holster that could hold vials, though it would be much easier to break them from within. I'd just have to deal with it, because I doubted I'd be able to bring my pack, or even get to what was within it during the exams. I made my new paralysis poison. I'd noted that it had a good hour long effect, and it was quite effective. I liked it, and so I planned to use it over the old one. It took me a good period of time to create it, and then I applied it to nine kunai, marking them with cloth, hanging them on a string that was propped so that they wouldn't touch the ground to allow them to dry properly. Next I filled two vials with the poison – all I had left. I created an antidote, filled the vial and marked it. I did the same for a sleeping poison and the deadly poison, if worst case came to worst. I only applied it to two kunai, and filled one vial with it. Finally, I made some healing potions. Four, in fact. It was all the pouch would allow for. So, I placed my four in, then one of each of the other vials. It was a tight squeeze, but I managed to get two of the paralysis and it's cure in along with the rest. I placed a cloth in to help the shock resistance, and then fastened it shut. I then took the now dry kunai and checked each of the cloth markers to ensure they wouldn't fall off, before packing them into a separate pouch, along with ten other kunai, three handfuls of shuriken, and a smoke bomb. My supplies were now ready, just as training was coming to a close. I set my bowls, herbs, gloves, and hammer back in the pouch, before placing the two holsters – one of weapons and one of vials – on my hip. The vials weighed a bit more than I was used to, but I'd survive. Ryu and I went home, and I made dinner.

"Are you enjoying practice?" I asked.

"Yeah. Tenten is really nice." He said through mouthfuls of food.

"Good." I smiled. "However, soon you'll have to enroll in a school until you are old enough for the academy. You'd be going now, but I haven't had time to get you enrolled with the training for the chuunin exams." He nodded again. "Don't worry, you'll still be able to train. It will just be a bit harder, that's all." He brightened at that, and after dinner he helped clean the dishes. I placed my holsters on the desk and pulled out a book as Ryu went to bed. After reading for awhile, I went to sleep as well.

The next day we trained under Gai-sensei's eye, but after the allotted time was up, he had to depart, because there were other things he had to take care of for the chuunin exams. We kept going until it was after dark. Ryu had stopped his training to sit under a tree and watch us. Currently, we were discussing the exams ourselves. Tenten, ever-loving her weapons, was playing with them, throwing them at targets. I stood to the right of one, while Lee was to its left. Daring Neji sat right underneath it.

"Did you hear?" Lee said, looking at the three of us. "The chuunin exams are allowing rookies in for the first time in five years."

"No way. The jounins are just trying to make themselves look good." I said, disbelieving.

"I heard three are Kakashi's students." Lee continued, as Tenten flipped a kunai around in her hand.

"That's interesting." Neji said, unperturbed.

"Either way," Tenten broke off to throw the kunai at the target. "It's pitiful for them." We all smirked at the thought. We weren't going to lose to some rookies.

Finally, the examination day arrived. We met at the academy and quietly discussed our plan before we went in. We weren't going to draw attention to ourselves, act weaker than we actually were. It would be easy, and the teams would underestimate us. We went inside and found room three hundred and one, only to find it was guarded by two cocky shinobi. When Lee tried to enter, they punched him and he fell backwards. Now, I and the rest of our team knew he could have stopped the hit and probably severely damaged the guy if he wanted to. The fact that he let himself get hit and fell back was a testimonial to how well we wanted to stick to this plan.

"You're trying to take the chuunin exam at this level?" Tenten hovered protectively over Lee, as if he were seriously hurt, as one of the guys taunted us. I adopted a concerned expression for my teammate, looking away so they wouldn't see the contempt in my eyes.

"Maybe you should just quit." The other added, smirking.

"Please let us through." Tenten said in a small voice. She rose and took a few steps forward, only to be punched as well. She fell next to Lee, and I knelt next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, more to restrain her from any attempt to hit back than the compassionate gesture it was supposed to be.

"How cruel." Someone muttered. Well, she was a kunoichi. She was _supposed_ to get hit. Idiots.

"What did you say?" The first one said. "Listen, we're just being nice to you. The exam is difficult."

"Yeah. We've seen people who gave up on becoming a ninja or were seriously hurt because of this exam."

"A chuunin can take command of a squad. You have to be able to take the heat."

At that point, a guy with raven hair stepped up and spoke to the two at the door. He told them to remove the genjutsu that was on the door. After a bit more conversation, the number above the door read two hundred and one, not three hundred and one as it did before. I helped Tenten up as the first guy standing there attacked the raven haired one. Lee jumped in the middle and stopped them, blowing our plan.

"Hey, you didn't follow the plan." Neji said as we walked up to him.

"Yeah, you were the one who didn't want us to draw attention and stand out." I added.

"But.." He started, looking over to a pink-haired girl to the side, blushing.

"She must be the reason." Tenten said, shaking her head, as Lee walked up to the girl and introduced himself, professing his love. I sighed and shook my head as well. Then she blew him off and he was completely out of his high spirits. Poor guy. Tenten and I followed Neji as he walked over to the group.

"You there," Neji said. "What's your name?"

"You're supposed to give your name first before you ask." The raven haired boy replied cockily.

"You're a rookie, aren't you? How old are you?"

"I don't have to answer that."

"Excuse me?" Neji said, getting annoyed, while Tenten laughed softly. The raven-haired boy turned away and the pink-haired one, Sakura, I believe Lee had said, called them both to go. Sasuke and Naruto. I already knew Naruto, but I hadn't known the other two. She proceeded to drag the two away. We stared after them, and I noted the clan symbol on the raven-haired kids back. The Uchiha symbol. He must be the famous Uchiha Sasuke then.

"Are you going to challenge him?" I asked Neji. He just walked off. Tenten and I followed, passing by Lee who stood, staring still. Tenten turned back to him after a moment.

"Lee, what're you doing? Let's go."

"You guys go ahead. I have to check something."

"Where's he going?" I asked.

"How should I know?" Neji replied tiredly. He walked off, and Tenten and I shrugged at each other before following after him. After a time, Lee caught up with us in room three hundred and one, and we turned in our applications. We found a place to sit and readied ourselves for what was to come. I grabbed my holster – the one with kunais – and opened it, glancing inside to make sure everything was as it should be. Once I was assured that it was all set, I put it away and grabbed the vials. This time I showed Tenten, who sat next to me, and in a quick, whispered conversation, I pointed out the markings on them and what they were each for. I had forgotten to do this earlier, and I wanted to remind someone of the markings. They all knew, but I didn't want to risk that they had gotten something mixed up. It was around this time that Naruto provoked the room, drawing everyone's attention.

"Is he an idiot?" Tenten muttered, looking up.

"Looks like he's in good spirits." Neji offered.

"He's burning with passion." Lee decided.

"No, he's just being Naruto." I sighed, crossing my arms.

"Maybe you didn't beat them enough, Lee." Neji said. It was then that Sakura put Naruto in a chokehold and apologized to the room for him. That took guts. And then, even more drama decided to ensue. Sound Ninja attacked a white haired kid, causing his glasses to shatter and the boy to vomit.

"We should watch out for them." I whispered.

"Lee, what do you think about that attack?" Neji asked softly.

"He dodged it just fine. There must have been a trick to the attack." There was a sudden explosion, and I looked up as the proctor emerged, yelling at all of us. His name was Ibiki.


	7. Saving Sakura

So I'm doing a double publish, since I've been so bad at updating my stuffs. Sorry . So, Chapter Seven and Eight, just for you guys. =] I don't own Naruto, but I do own this story.

* * *

**Chapter Seven **_**– **__Saving Sakura_

We found ourselves seated in six rows. I was in the fourth, and Tenten was in the third, directly in front of me. Lee was in the third, one to the right, and Neji was in the one behind me, three to my left. They explained the rules, how we only had ten points, if we get caught cheating we lose some points, blah blah. Whatever. Tests weren't that hard. He told us to begin, and I turned the paper over, only to see that the problems were quite difficult. I sighed, thinking. If the problems were this hard, almost no one in the class could answer them probably. Cheating was supposed to eliminate you from a test, not cause you to lose some points. That had to be it. We had to cheat. I looked up, and saw Tenten moving her fingers rapidly, and then Lee moved. Their movements had to be staged as a conversation of sorts, since Tenten stopped moving when he moved. She then proceeded to scoot slightly to the side, so that I could see what she was doing. Nonchalantly, I read the answers to the first three problems, before taking my time in writing them down, as if I were coming to the answers naturally. Then the next three. And then the next three still. Throughout this time, people failed and left with their teammates. Poor genin. Oh well. By the time I was finished, it was thirty minutes into the test. Fifteen minutes to spare. I glanced around, already bored. It was a long fifteen minutes.

Finally, they decided to administer the tenth question. It was a pass or fail question, one that you chose whether or not you took. If you failed the question, you couldn't become a chuunin. After a long moment, one in which I already determined that I'd take the question, no matter what, one person raised their hand. And, like that, a flood of others raised their hands, and soon there were many empty seats. Finally, after a time, Naruto raised his hand, and I thought he was quitting. Then, he made some bold, Naruto-like comment and the tide of people leaving ended. We waited expectantly, only to be told we all passed. It was wonderful. However, before we could celebrate, we were being whisked off to our next trial: The Forest of Death. Spooky, but it didn't daunt me. I walked with my teammates after the woman, and after even more rules, we were handed waiver forms. We could die in this challenge. Not surprising, seeing how even on our last mission we almost died. Such was the way of the ninja, yet everyone seemed surprised. As they setup a tent to hand out some scrolls that we were supposed to be fighting for, my team and I gathered together to sign the papers.

"We've got this." I said confidently.

"There's no way we can lose." Tenten seconded. We finished signing and made our way to the tent, where we turned in the waivers. They handed us an earth scroll, which went into Lee's holster before we walked out. I made myself look conspicuous, as if I were hiding something, keeping my hand protectively over my second pouch, as if that was what the pouch was there for. Some looked at me with unhidden glee and calculation. The four of us travelled to a gate, where we waited to be allowed in. After a signal was called, the gate was flung open, and we entered swiftly. Lee darted ahead of us, and Neji called out to him.

"Take it easy Lee. The test just started."

"That might be the case," He called back. "But still, whoever our enemies are, I want to find them first."

"You little fool." Neji returned, but not unkindly. We darted ahead, before Neji called for a stop at the base of a large tree.

"Alright, here's our plan." He told us, looking back and forth between us. "We'll wait here until the sun starts to go down. Then, we'll split up and strike, because at night is when they're going to feel safest." I smirked, while Tenten and Lee nodded in agreement. We were stuck here for a couple of hours. At least it wasn't a full day – since we started right after the first examination, it was going to be a shorter wait. During this time, I handed each of them two kunai with my paralysis poison on them, telling them the best way to get the most charges out of them. Then, Tenten and I sat in the roots of the tree, almost completely hidden by them. I know I dozed off, she might have as well. Neji shook me awake brusquely when we were moving to the branches above to survey the ground, because it was a better vantage point to wait for enemies. Eventually, the sun went down and we dropped to the forest floor again.

"Alright, you all know the plan." He was toying with a kunai. It wasn't one of mine. "No matter what happens, whether you make contact with an enemy or not, we will meet back here in this spot." He threw the kunai into the ground. "Understood?"

"No sweat." Tenten replied tiredly.

"Roger." Lee saluted.

"Got it." I acknowledged.

"Then let's go!" And with that, we all parted. Neji went west, while Lee went east; Tenten went north while I went south. I travelled quickly and quietly, listening to the forest around me for my target. I sniffed the air, searching for a fool who would light a fire. A good distance away, maybe an hour's run, I found a group. I nearly passed them, I'll admit. I heard their voices, and went to investigate. They were hidden in the roots of a tree, speaking to each other. While their voices were subdued, the roots channeled their voices straight upwards, so that I could hear them. Fools. If you were in enemy territory, you shouldn't be speaking at all unless it was necessary, and if it was, in a place that wouldn't carry your voice. I drew two kunai, one poisoned with paralysis. Then I dropped down to the three. They were all male; rain nin I noticed. I threw the kunai down at one man as I fell down, shifting so that I would land on a second. The kunai embedded in the man's shoulder, he looked up in surprise. The other two did the same, and the one I was aiming for barely got out of the way before I landed.

I didn't waste time in pausing to get my bearings, to look around in surprise because he moved. I just let my body flow into the next move, striking at the third member of their group. I lunged in with my kunai, and he blocked it with his own, trying to overpower me. His eyes flickered to the left momentarily, and I used that to my advantage. I dropped my body down, causing him to over balance, before rolling away to the right as the second teammate lashed out with a kick, catching his friend in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. I jumped to my feet and lunged at him, tackling him to the ground while he paused, staring down at his friend. He fell under me. I knelt over his chest, my knees pressing his arms down against his sides. My hand held a kunai in it, which I now pressed against his throat.

"The scroll for your lives." I told him coolly. I wouldn't actually kill them, but I would threaten. If they refused to give me the scroll, I'd render them helpless while I stole it from them. However, the man felt I was being serious, and swallowed carefully out of nervousness, before pointing slightly with one hand. It was hard to do so, seeing how I was pinning down the arms, but I understood the movement.

"He has it." He'd pointed at the one I paralyzed. Good. I smirked.

"Thanks." Then, I removed my kunai from his throat. As he breathed a sigh of relief, I reversed the blade and rapped his head with it gently, knocking him unconscious. Not hard enough to give a concussion, like that guy had done to me in a different forest, but enough that would leave him out for a period of time. With that done, I got off of him and went to the paralyzed one, pilfering through his things until I found the scroll. An earth scroll. We had one of these already. Oh well, I'd take it anyway, just to cut down the odds. I turned to the last conscious member of the team.

"This one here," I set my hand on the paralyzed one's shoulder, right above my kunai. "He'll be okay in an hour or so. The other one will awaken by morning, I'm sure. Neither is dead." I told him, before setting my hand on the blade and yanking it quickly out of the man's shoulder. I waved with a grin before taking to the trees. I looked up at the sky. I was running out of time to make it back without being late. I sprinted off. It had taken an hour to get here, but I needed to get back even quicker, before they came to look for me and got angry.

"Where are they?" I heard Tenten's annoyed voice. _They?_ I wondered. _Who else is late?_ I dropped down out of the trees.

"Here, sorry. I got caught up in a fight." I said, taking a few breaths. I'd practically sprinted the whole way here from that site, almost an hour's jog away. Anyone would be a little breathless. I looked up, glancing around to see who was here. Neji and Tenten were standing near the kunai.

"Where's Lee?" I asked, rhetorically. Obviously neither of them knew.

"I don't know," Tenten replied. "But he's late. And he's never late. Lee's like, fanatical about being on time."

"Maybe he ran into the enemy, like I did?" I offered, stretching my arms above my head. Tenten gasped.

"You think…?" Her face filled with slight concern. Neji chuckled softly.

"No, I'm sure he's alright." His face grew more serious. "Still, we'd better go find him."

"Right." Tenten agreed. I merely nodded. At that, we took to the trees once more, heading east in the direction Lee had taken. We didn't know how far away he'd gone, so Neji took the lead, using his Byakugan to scout out where he may have gone. After a good distance, he directed us to veer off of our course a bit. He'd found Lee, and he didn't look too happy about it. He stopped on a tree limb, holding an arm out for us to halt. Tenten crouched at the base of the branch, one hand on the tree trunk. Neji stood in the middle, now posed with his arms crossed over his chest. His Byakugan was no longer active. I stood to his left, one hand on my kunai pouch, surveying the scene before me.

Lee was laying face down, unconscious. There were three people, leaf shinobi it looked like, standing defiantly against three sound shinobi. Behind the three leaf shinobi was Sakura, along with her team. They were lying unconscious behind her. She didn't look to good, and her hair, which had been long before, was now short and unkempt. The three leaf shinobi were in varying positions. One was sitting on the ground, looking nauseous, and the only female, a blonde, was being supported by the other male in the group. The sound shinobi were in interesting positions as well. One, the one that had attacked the white haired guy earlier before the first test, was standing there all contemptuously. The second male was standing with his fist pointing towards their female member, who was lying with a look of fear on her face. I wondered why they were threatening their own teammate.

"… Anything that happens to Kin happens to her too. So, if say, Kin were to die…" The first said to the male supporting the girl.

"What're you gonna do? Murder your own teammate?" The guy demanded.

"If push comes to shove," The guy who had his fist out now opened it. "yeah." Wonderful. I really hope that my teammates would never turn out like these three. "Did you really think you could win? Face it, you're just a bunch of hacks." He said loftily.

"From a second rate village." The first finished.

"Huh," Neji spoke, pitching his voice so that it carried across the clearing. "That's pretty tough talk. I guess that makes your village third rate. I wonder if any of your amateurs are ready for the real thing?"

"What?" The first demanded, annoyance and scorn clear in his voice.

"It's Lee's team. I wondered when they'd get here." Sakura's voice, very soft, reached my ears.

"Lee!" Tenten called, spying his felled form.

"You blew it." Neji said dismissively.

"These genin keep popping out of the woods like cockroaches." The first sound ninja complained. Neji ignored him and spoke again.

"It looks to me like someone used our teammate as a punching bag. No one does that and gets away with it!" He invoked his Byakugan, his neutral-seeming face growing angry. "No more playing around, Tenten, Maia. Full power!"

"Right." I drew two kunai, both poisoned with paralysis venom. Tenten readied her weapons as well. Then Neji gasped, and we both turned to look at him. He had a look of shock on his face.

"What's the matter, Neji?" Tenten asked softly.

"Well?" The sound shinobi demanded. "Are you going to stand up there all day, or are you going to do something about it?"

"It looks like this has been taken out of my hands." I looked down to see what he meant. I spotted what he was talking about quickly. Sasuke was waking up, and he was emitting so much chakra that even I, without the Byakugan, could see it.

"Who did this to you, Sakura? Who was it?" She looked at him with fear.

"Sasuke? What's happened to you?" He was covered in dark marks. Well, not covered, necessarily. His left arm and the left half of his face had them, and I had to assume his shoulder and throat had them as well, but they were covered by his clothing.

"Don't worry, I'm alright. It's just the power flowing through me. In fact, I've never felt better. He gave me this gift. Tell me, now, which of these people did this to you?"

"That would be me." The second guy, the one who had threatened his teammate, said cockily. Sasuke looked at him, and if looks could kill, the guy would have been in little bitty pieces all over the clearing. After a little squabbling from the other team that was present, who were now out of the way, I turned my attention back to Sasuke and the two sound shinobi. The marks were now covering Sasuke's whole face.

"What's the matter Dosu? Getting cold feet?" the second sound shinobi asked.

"No, Zaku, you don't understand!" Dosu cried.

"I'll take them out in one fell swoop! Super Sonic Slicing Wave!" Zaku cried, flinging his hands out before him. A huge blast of air and light emitted, so strong that everyone within the area was affected. Tenten clutched the bark of the tree trunk, and Neji managed to brace himself in time. Me, on the other hand, I was knocked backwards off the tree and I hit a branch behind me with my back. It hurt pretty badly, but I knew I'd only have a nice icky bruise on my back from it. At least I didn't die, right? After the attack was over, I leapt back up to my place next to Neji. Neither he nor Tenten glanced my way, their eyes were on the clearing below, as were mine. The dust cleared before Zaku – the three leaf shinobi were gone. "Hah, what do you know? Blew them all away!" Zaku cheered.

"Not quite." The dust cleared from behind Zaku as Sasuke punched him across the clearing. There lay Sakura and Naruto as well.

"How did he do that?" I whispered, awed. I didn't think Lee could have done it, and he's no slouch. After a short battle, Sasuke dislocated Zaku's arms with two sickening cracks. I winced and rubbed my shoulder sockets in pity. Then he turned to Dosu, and Dosu was so frightened, he couldn't move. I didn't blame him. If Sasuke's gaze had fallen upon me at that moment, I'd have been afraid too. Sakura looked sickened and terrified of the whole thing. But still, I definitely have to give her points for guts. She watched Sasuke walk past her, and something in her must have snapped or did something, because I don't think I would have done it. She got up off the ground and ran at Sasuke, screaming "No!" and "Stop!"

"Please, stop." She whispered, and I could tell she was crying, even though I couldn't see her face. After a very long moment, the marks retreated from Sasuke's body, and he collapsed to the ground with Sakura supporting him. Dosu gave up and gave them their scroll in exchange for the lives of him and his teammates. After a bit more squabbling, the sound shinobi left. I watched them disappear, and then I heard noise below us.

"Ino, you take care of Lee. We'll check the kid."

"Right!" The three man leaf shinobi team split up to check out all the combatants. I stayed with my teammates in the tree, watching the others on the ground. Naruto started freaking out the instant he woke up, and Ino was carrying Lee towards us. I leapt down to help her, but Tenten beat me to her.

"I'll take care of him now, Ino." Tenten said, looking up at the girl from the crouch she'd landed in.

"Uh, okay." Ino said, slightly puzzled.

"Come on Lee, pull it together, and snap out of it already, alright?" Tenten vigorously shook Lee by the shoulders. I took a few steps forward to be next to Tenten as Lee dropped to his knees, before blearily looking up at the two of us.

"Tenten? Maia? Is that you? What're you guys doing here?"

"We came to help you out, what do you think?" I said, kneeling down to be on his level. Tenten crouched too.

"What? Where are those sound ninja?" He asked, looking around slowly.

"They're gone now. Sasuke took care of them. Don't worry about it." Tenten told him gently, more gently than she had when she shook him into consciousness.

"Really?" He asked, awed.

"Just what were you thinking, rushing in there all by yourself? Look at you, you're a total mess!" Tenten scolded.

"Well, Sakura was in trouble, so, I had to do something, right?" I sighed and rolled my eyes at him.

"That was pretty darn stupid don't you think?" Tenten reprimanded.

"Well, I can't argue with that." Just then, Naruto decided to pick at Lee, rushing over to us.

"Hey! I know you, bushy brow!" He said, emphasizing the 'bushy brow' part childishly.

"Knock it off! Don't you say anything bad about Lee!" Sakura yelled, punching Naruto a few feet away. "Thanks Lee. Because of you, I could stand up for myself, and I became a little stronger." Lee looked way too sad and touched and I almost gagged.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"Tenten, Lee, Maia. Let's go." Neji's voice called. The two of us helped Lee up and we carried him off to our camp. When we arrived there, I fished out a healing potion.

"Drink this. It'll renew your energy." I told him. He took it gratefully, before going to lie down and rest.

"I'll take the first watch." I offered. "Oh, and I got this." I added, holding up an earth scroll. "Useless to us, but it keeps one team from going forward." I shrugged.

"I have a heaven scroll, so we're all set then. I'll take second watch." Neji replied. Tenten agreed to take third, and by common consent, we decided that Lee wouldn't take a watch at all. It would be a long night, but it would be far from the first.


	8. Tragedy

Naruto isn't mine.

* * *

**Chapter Eight – **_Tragedy_

We arrived at the tower early in the afternoon of the next day. When we opened the two scrolls in our assigned room, Gai-sensei appeared, crying how proud and youthful and utterly amazing we were and how his awesome and wonderful training methods had pulled off and he and Lee pretty much went nuts while Neji, Tenten and I just watched in silence. They were two of a kind, Lee and Gai-sensei. After all of that, Gai-sensei told us we passed the second exam and that we would be moving on to the next round. However, we had to wait three days, which passed slowly, but at least we weren't being attacked. On the sixth day, we were summoned to a large chamber, where the rest of the teams and the proctors were meeting. We formed up our ranks, one after another. Since our team was a four-man squad, I stood behind Tenten, alone in a row of my own. Oh well. The Hokage then stepped forward to tell us the true meaning of the chuunin exams, and how we were fighting to help distinguish our villages in the exams, and a whole bunch of other things. I listened, but it wasn't anything so much as an elaboration on what I had just stated. Just as Lord Hokage was about to explain the third exam, a man interrupted him. He introduced himself as Hayate, and asked to speak before the Hokage could continue.

"So be it." Lord Hokage declared.

"It's nice to meet you all." He burst into a fit of coughs. "There is something I'd like you all to do before the third exam." Another bout of coughs. "We need a preliminary exam before we move on to the real one."

"Preliminary? What do you mean?" One guy yelled. I recognized him as the one who'd helped Sakura out.

"I don't see the point in that. Why can't we just move on to the third exam?" Sakura asked.

"You see, the first and second exams might have been too easy. We didn't expect so many of you to make it this far. The rules say we can hold a preliminary match at any stage, in order to reduce the candidates remaining." He replied.

"But, is that even fair?" Sakura countered.

"We have to speed things up a little. As Lord Hokage said, many important people will watch your matches, and we can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. So, if there are any who feel they are not in top, physical condition, now is the time to," He burst into another fit of coughs. Talk about top physical condition. "Excuse me. If you feel you aren't up to the task, now is the time for you to leave. The preliminaries start immediately."

"You mean right now?" Some guy with a dog cried out. Well, obviously, since he said 'immediately'.

"We just finished surviving the last exam. Don't we get a break?" Ino whined.

However, even though there was a lot of complaining, only one person backed out – his name was Kabuto, the white haired boy who was attacked before the first exam. After a short period, they generated two names for the first match. Sasuke and Akado were the first up. The rest of us went upstairs to the observation deck to watch the fight. Within the first few seconds they were on the ground, and Sasuke was writhing. Was it from what had caused those marks from before, I wondered?

Then I saw the nin he was fighting had glowing hands when he touched Sasuke. He was doing something to him. Sasuke groaned in pain as the nin pinned him down by the forehead.

"My chakra! He's stealing it from me!" Sasuke said. Somehow, Sasuke managed to knock Akado off of him. After a few yells from Naruto, Sasuke seemed to get some inspiration. He dodged the blows Akado threw at him, when he suddenly vanished, only to kick the guy from below. It looked familiar, just like-

"Hey, that's my move!" Lee complained quietly.

"So I admit it, I borrowed that move. However, this part is all original." I barely heard Sasuke, since the words weren't meant for us above. Sasuke slammed him in to the ground with a few punches and kicks. They looked like they hurt. The next match was between Shino and Zaku, but I didn't really care much for the people, so I didn't pay too much attention. However, the ending did, when everyone was shocked. I looked down, startled. Zaku's arm had holes in it, and I wished I'd paid more attention. Lee grabbed Neji's arm.

"Wait. Who is he? How did he do that? Find out." Lee said in a whisper. Neji pulled away a few steps to get a clear view, before invoking the Byakugan. He stared at Shino for a moment, before a surprised and almost frightened look crossed his face for a single moment.

"I had no idea. I thought he was using a summoning jutsu to call all those insects. They live inside him!"

"Living inside of him?" Lee repeated, incredulous.

"There's a legend in Konoha of a clan of insect tamers." Gai-sensei said.

"Yes, I've heard of them. They say that when a bug master is born, he makes a pact with the insects. He allows them to live within his body, and in return they do as their host commands, to fight their battles and enemies. I've heard that they can feed on their chakra as part of the bargain." Neji replied.

"Creepy." I said.

"So this guy is one of them? A bug tamer?" Lee replied. We didn't reply, as the next match was being set up. I glanced up at the board to see the names. Kankuro Sabaku and Maia Haru. So, it seems that it was my turn.

"Good luck, Maia." Tenten whispered.

"Do your best." Lee added. I smiled at them, before leaping over the rail to land in the combat zone. He sauntered down the stairs, a smirk on his face. I bet he figured since I was a girl I was a push over. Well, I'd show him. He carried a wrapped object on his back, which piqued my curiosity. No doubt I'd find out what it was soon enough.

"Kankuro Sabaku and Maia Haru, are you ready?" Hayate asked formally.

"I am." I said boldly, hand on my kunai holster.

"Let's get this started." Kankuro agreed.

"Then let the match begin." He declared, before leaping out of the way. I leapt backwards from Kankuro myself, throwing a paralysis kunai at his body as I did so. It thudded into his right arm, which he lifted up to defend himself with. I smiled. Now I only had to wait.

"You think a little think like this will hurt me?" He asked, that smug smirk on his face still. He ripped it out and threw it back at me. I dodged it, ensuring that I was well out of the way of the blade. There would still be poison residue on it, and I didn't want a dose getting into my blood stream. From where the poison entered, it should take about two minutes to fully spread. He lunged at me, and I dodged, throwing a punch that he caught. I ripped away from him, confused. He was showing no signs of weakness. What in the world was going on here? I threw two more paralysis kunai at him, and one hit him in the shoulder while he dodged the other. Still, he showed no sign of slowing.

"What in the world are you? There's no way you should be moving!" I cried, blocking a kick. It was then that I noticed that there was no blood coming from the wounds. Why wasn't he bleeding? And what was with the bundle that was still on his back? Why would a shinobi fight with something so cumbersome on their back if they weren't even going to use it? Unless… I decided to take a chance. I drew a kunai, unfortunately it wasn't poisoned. I lunged at Kankuro, coming in close. But, as he moved to block me, I dodged under his arms, moving around him to stab at the bundle on his back. It went through the cloth, and I heard a yelp, before a chuckle.

"You figured it out. Clever girl." The bundle unraveled to show the real Kankuro.

"You're a puppet master!" I exclaimed dodging as the aforementioned puppet attacked me.

"That was a lucky shot. You won't get another one." Kankuro promised, moving his fingers. The puppet moved in response. Now of all the things I had expected, I had to admit that this wasn't one of them. I hadn't planned on two enemies, and one of them wasn't susceptible to poisons. Just great. However, if I could just knick Kankuro with a blade, it would be over for him. I'd have my victory. I threw the kunai straight at him, just for kicks, as I drew two more blades. I only had one more paralysis kunai left after these two. I'd have to revert to the sleeping poison after this. If I ran out of those… no. I wouldn't use the deadly poison, not here. Only if I was extremely desperate would I resort to those. I darted at the puppet, since it seemed it was going to be his body guard. I tried to get a clear shot at Kankuro, but I couldn't manage it. Now that Kankuro had been revealed, his puppet was now in its own form. It had six arms, three eyes, and a mouth. I didn't want to know what deadly secrets it had in store for me. I blocked and dodged its arms, and threw a desperate kunai at Kankuro. It would have hit him too, but he dodged, and I couldn't throw a follow up kunai. It was then that the puppet caught me.

If I hadn't thrown the kunai, I would have been paying better attention to the puppet. One of its arms grabbed my throwing arm and tugged me, knocking me off balance. The rest wrapped around me, and once I was snared, the one holding my wrist released me and joined the others. It pulled me tight against its chest and squeezed, until I was certain that my lungs would be crushed. All of the air was forced out of my body, and I couldn't even get another breath.

"Maia!" I faintly heard Lee call out. I remember my vision going black, and then my legs gave out, and I fell over, the puppet still clutching me. I felt a crack, and I knew something was fractured or broken. I hoped that it wasn't a rib, and if it was, that it wouldn't puncture one of my lungs. That would just suck. Especially after all that hard work I put in to getting this far. And then, I was past any thought.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. I tried to sit up, but I winced in pain and grasped at my side, falling back down. I glanced around from my position, tears welling up in my eyes from the burst of unexpected pain. There wasn't anyone in the room, but it was obviously a hospital. Even if I couldn't recognize the typical hospital setup, I would have known where I was. After all, I had been felled in the chuunin exams and something in my body had been cracked. I would need medical attention.

"Hello?" I called out, hoping that a nurse would hear me and I could find out just how badly off I was. After a minute, I sighed. No such luck for me. I turned my head to look at the nightstand. On it were a few cards and a flower. I carefully grabbed the first card and opened it to read the contents.

"_Maia,_

_You fought well, and it's a shame you didn't beat Kankuro. If it hadn't been for that puppet, you'd have beaten him for sure. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll become a chuunin next time. You're a great kunoichi._

_Tenten"_

I smiled lightly. I wondered how Tenten did herself. I couldn't wait to be updated. I reached for the next one, setting Tenten's card on my lap.

"_Maia,_

_I don't care what Kakashi-sensei or Sakura says. Using a puppet is underhanded. It's practically like there's another person there. You should have won, believe it! When you get better, let's have ramen, okay?_

_Your friend, and the future Hokage,_

_Naruto"_

I smiled at that one. He had a good heart, but he could be kind of a braggart at times. I read the rest of them, and they all were pretty much the same as the first two. One was from Gai-sensei, and another was from Iruka-sensei, my old teacher from the academy. I had seen him at the exams, and his card was touching. I didn't think he'd have cared enough to send me a card too. As I was struggling to set the cards back on the table, a nurse walked in with a clipboard, and I looked up, dropping the card onto the floor.

"Dang it." I said, glaring down at the card before glaring at the bandages that you could barely see peeking out from under the clothes I was wearing. The nurse smiled lightly and picked up the card, placing it back on the table, before gathering the rest from my lap and doing the same.

"Well, Ms. Haru, you have two fractured ribs and one broken rib. Along with that, your back and chest is a mass of bruises." I grimaced at the assessment. Well, that meant I wasn't going to be doing much for awhile. "While the bruising will make movement painful, you would still be able to move. Even with fractured ribs, you would be able to move about a bit and be released in a few days. However, that broken rib requires that we watch you until it is healed enough that movement won't make the injury worse. We've wrapped your chest tightly so that it can't move about too much, and a medical nin will be in soon to assess you and give you a bit of healing. After that, we'll see if we can release you soon." She told me, not unkindly. She obviously had dealt with a shinobi before, and I sighed.

"Thank you, doctor." I touched my side and winced slightly. "Which side is the broken rib on?" She pointed at the side my hand was on. So the left rib had broken joy of all joys. I liked sleeping on my left side. Oh well, it's not like I could fix it myself. I'd just have to lay here and deal with it. "What about my teammates? Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee? Do you know anything about them?" I asked. At Lee's name, her face fell slightly.

"Your friend was very badly hurt. In his battle, both his left leg and arm were crushed. The bones were broken and the muscles were snapped. The damage is so bad, we don't believe he will be able to be a shinobi anymore." The woman said softly. I froze, my pain long forgotten. Then, after an agonizing moment, I tried to force myself out of the bed.

"Let me see him. I need to see my teammate." I demanded, as she rushed forward to shove me down onto the bed again. My vision had gone blurry, and I realized they were with tears. How could this have happened to Lee? He was one of the best shinobi I knew, and the best taijutsu user I had ever seen. He was my friend, my teammate. He was just walking around a few days ago! How could this have happened? "What about Tenten? Neji?" I asked warily, afraid of what she might tell me.

"Tenten was beaten, but other than severe bruising, she is alright. Neji was unharmed in his battle." Of course he wasn't. He was one of the best. But Lee had been too, and he had been utterly crushed. How would he go on?

"Could you tell my team I'm awake? I have to talk to them. Please? I promise I won't go walking the halls for Lee if you do this." I told her solemnly. I wanted to hear from my team what the situation was, or else I'd go see for myself. Hearing from someone who didn't even know him… it wasn't the same. I had to hear it from my team. After a long moment of thinking, the nurse hesitantly agreed and left the room to contact my team.

It was about thirty minutes before I saw anyone that I knew. The nurse peered in every so often, to ensure I was in bed still. Obviously she'd been duped before. Then I heard a different set of footsteps, more hurried as they came towards my room. The door slid open, and Tenten stood in the door, one arm around her middle where I assumed the bruising was. I could see some dark purple marks on her skin where it showed. They must hurt.

"You're awake! I wasn't sure if the nurse was telling the truth." Tenten said breathlessly, closing the door behind her and pulling a chair up.

"Where's Neji and Gai-sensei?" I asked softly. "And Lee?" Tenten looked down at her lap at the mention of Lee.

"Neji was out training. I left a message for him that you're awake, so he might come visit you soon. Gai-sensei is with Lee. Lee is… very badly hurt. He fought against Gaara of the sand. He was very powerful – one of the most dangerous men I have ever seen. His jutsus all consisted of sand attacks, and he could manipulate the sand even better than that puppet master could control that puppet. It wrapped around his arm and leg and destroyed them. We're afraid…" She paused, as if the words were too horrible to say, before steeling herself. "We're afraid that he might not be a shinobi ever again."

"I can't believe it." I whispered, numb. "I thought the nurse was just exaggerating. Is he okay? Does he know how badly off he is?"

"It's been two days since the exams. You were delirious from the pain meds they gave you for your ribs. They were hard pressed with all the wounded shinobi that came in from the exams, especially when Lee came in. He's been unconscious this whole time. They're doing their best with his body, but with how bad it is, it isn't much. Gai-sensei is devastated." Tenten said softly, and I could see tears running down her face. Even after knowing it for two days and seeing it occur on the third, she was still upset. That helped me understand just how badly off he was.

"I want to see him." I whispered. "He was one of the best. How could he have been hurt so badly? I thought he was too fast for it to be possible."

"We all did." Tenten agreed. The door opened again, and I jumped. I hadn't heard footsteps. It was Neji. I looked to him, as did Tenten. Her tears had abated – she was accustomed to this loss of Lee. Mine however, still flowed freely.

"You've heard, then?" He asked rhetorically. He took a seat on the edge of the bed at my feet with a sigh. "Gai-sensei won't leave his side for anything. I've advanced to the third exam. While I don't blame Gai-sensei for taking responsibility for Lee, it leaves me in a tough situation. I need to prepare for the exam, like the rest of the shinobi who made it, or I'll be unprepared. I'm against Naruto, and while I'm quite certain I'll win against that buffoon, I don't want to let my guard down. Lee was sure of his success, and he fell to Gaara." He paused for a moment at the thought of Lee being felled. I was still in a state of shock. I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't. Not until I saw it with my own eyes. "So that's why I'm here. I mourn for Lee's loss, but I can't sit around. He wouldn't want that." No, he wouldn't. He'd want us doing our best to go further as shinobi. "I need help in training. I can't practice some of the jutsus I've found without an opponent, and Gai-sensei can't help me because of obvious reasons. So I'm asking you to help me." He said, looking to both of us with his pale lilac eyes.

"I've already told you I'd help." Tenten replied in a subdued voice.

"As soon as I'm out of here, I'll do whatever you need me to." I told him solemnly. He nodded. We sat there, together, and our conversation turned, not to the future and our plans, but to the past, to reminisce on days before Lee fell, when we weren't in the hospital. While it was a sorrowful conversation, it was also an invigorating one. It helped me understand that our choice, while it seemed unfeeling towards Lee, was the one he'd want us to make. We couldn't do anything for him, but we could help Neji. He'd want that.


	9. New Techniques

Here's the next one! Woo! Someone else created Naruto, though I'm totally and shamelessly borrowing the characters for your amusement.

* * *

**Chapter Nine – **_New Techniques_

The next day I met a medical nin. She came in and went straight to business. She wanted to see the broken rib site, so that meant stripping me of any garments on my torso. The hospital gown was annoying to remove, but with patience, she helped me shed the cloth. Now all that hid my chest from the rest of the world was some bandages. Gently, the woman began to unravel the bandages, heedless of any wincing or flinching on my part. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and thought nothing of them until the door to my room opened. Tenten stepped in, her head turned to face someone that wasn't in sight yet.

"Tenten!" I cried sharply. The woman was almost at my chest – which was, unfortunately, where the break was. Tenten looked up as she pulled Ryu into the room. She noticed how more and more of my skin was being revealed, and she turned to Ryu, blocking his view of me.

"How about we go get Maia something to drink really quick?" Tenten asked, trying to usher the boy back out.

"But I want to see her now!" He complained, trying to crane around Tenten to peek at me.

"Please, Ryu?" I asked. "I'd really appreciate it if you could do me the favor. I won't go anywhere, I promise." Not like I could without clothing on, anyway.

"Fine." He said, with that tone that said he was wearing a pout. Tenten escorted him back out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. The nin finished unraveling the bandages as it clicked shut. Her cool fingers touched my left side, just under my left arm. It was where the bruising was the worst, and I flinched away from the light touch. She nodded to herself, as if the movement proved something to her. Her hand glowed with chakra, and she pressed her hand to my rib again. Her other hand held me firmly in place, and I felt a shift in my body. The bone was setting, moving back to where it was supposed to be. It was quite painful, even more painful than the touch had been. I bit my lip against a moan of pain, waiting for it to end. Finally, it did end, and she pulled her hand away from my side. I looked down, and the bruising was much less than it had been.

"There. I manipulated your body so that the bone would set in the correct place, and healed it enough that it will stay in place if you move around. However, you aren't allowed to do any vigorous exercise or a lot of physical training." As she spoke, she re-wrapped the bandages on my chest. "These will help keep them from cracking even more, if you find yourself in a situation – somehow – that forces you to fight. They won't be much protection, however, so you should return to the hospital if anything happens." By the time she was done talking, she had the bandages wrapped tightly around my torso, and she wrapped a few inches further so that they ended just above my stomach. "A nurse will come in soon with papers for your release." I smiled happily. I was getting out!

"Thank you, doctor." I said gratefully. The woman smiled, but it wasn't with as much humor.

"See that you don't hurt yourself, alright?" With that, she left the room, off to help another patient no doubt. A few moments later, Tenten and Ryu re-entered, carrying a bottle of juice for me. I was struggling to get the gown back over my shoulders.

"Tenten, could you help me out?" I asked, glaring down at the stupid piece of cloth. Ryu and Tenten chuckled as she moved to help me. After it was on properly, I glanced around. "Where are my actual clothes? I know I had to have had some when I came here." Tenten pointed, and I followed her finger to a chair in the corner, where my things were set. "Good. They said they'll be releasing me today, and there's no way I'm going home in this stupid thing." I plucked at the gown, before looking up at the two, my gaze going to the little boy. "And how are you, Ryu? Was it nice at Tenten's house?" Her mother had agreed to watch over him for me, and I had left him there with a key to the apartment and a pack of clothes before the exams.

"I'm okay. Tenten's mom is nice. She enrolled me into a school." He wrinkled his nose, and I laughed. I'd asked her to do that, too.

"You need to be educated if you're going to be a shinobi." I told him seriously, but a glint of cheer tinted the statement.

"I know… It's just so boring, sitting in the class and learning stuff. I can't wait to go to the academy!" I grinned at him.

"They made us sit in class and learn stuff there too. Sure, we learned how to do a few ninjutsu and how to fight, but education is really important to a shinobi, so they make you learn stuff as if you were at a regular school." He frowned to my grin.

"Oh well. At least it'll be more fun." He grumbled, before brightening slightly. "You said you're getting out soon, right?" I nodded. "So you're all better?"

"Well, not completely, but I'm well enough to go home, if I'm careful." A nurse walked in with the papers I needed to fill out. I took a clipboard from her, along with a pen.

"Turn this in at the front desk when you leave, alright?" She told me briskly. Without waiting for an answer, she turned and left. I looked at the papers and sighed.

"Joy. Paper work. Exactly what I wanted." I lifted the pen and began writing in the information they wanted. It was a few minutes before I set it aside. "That's done."

"We can go now?" Ryu asked, jumping up. I shook my head.

"Not yet. I have to get dressed. Tenten, could you help me out?" She nodded, and I swung my legs carefully over the edge of the bed and climbed out, wincing slightly as my foot hit the floor too hard, jarring my chest. Tenten grabbed my clothes, and we walked into the adjoining bathroom. There, she helped me remove the gown. I pulled the shorts on, and tried to get the tank top on, but I just couldn't hold my arms above my head long enough to pull it on. Tenten managed to help me, and I vowed to get painkillers. We walked out of the bathroom, and I set the gown on the bed carefully. Tenten handed me my holsters. I attached the kunai one to my hip, grabbing a healing vial before setting that holster on my belt. I downed the thing quickly, slipping it back in without looking. It didn't matter where it went, so I didn't have to see to put it back, but I needed to see to take it out. I snagged the clipboard and looked towards the door.

"Alright, let's go." I walked between the two down the hallway. It hurt a little, to walk, but I managed. "What's today, anyway?"

"It's Saturday." I nodded.

"Are we training today with Neji?" I asked.

"I am. You can watch." I sighed heavily.

"Of course. Is Lee open to visitors yet?" Tenten shook her head, and I sighed. "Alright. Let's go, then." We stopped at the front desk, where I handed the board to the man sitting there. He looked over the documents before nodding.

"Alright, Ms. Haru, you're free to go." He said. I nodded, and the three of us left. Tenten led us to our training area, where Neji was already waiting.

"What took you so long Tenten?" He asked, before turning around. "Good to have you back, Maia."

"I'm not back yet. Doctor says I can't fight or anything, but I can watch over you guys until then." He nodded, and he and Tenten moved a little away from us. While he explained to Tenten what to do, I pulled Ryu to a tree with a target on it. "Here, you can practice with these." I told him, giving him a handful of clean kunai. I had a few of those, luckily. Then, I molded my chakra in my feet and walked up the tree so that I could perch on a branch and watch everything that happened in the clearing. Neji and Tenten started to warm up with a spar. Tenten, of course, used a lot of weapons, and Neji used his taijutsu and evasive skills. Ryu was below me, throwing weapons at the target. He usually hit something, but it wasn't always the target. Usually it was the tree around the target.

"Relax, Ryu. Just let it come naturally." I called down to him encouragingly. I turned my eyes back to the spar, and not a moment too soon. Tenten threw a kunai, which Neji caught. He slid over a pace and threw it back. She dodged it and threw three more. Neji dodged two and blocked one. One of them landed uselessly in the ground. The other was flying towards Ryu, because in the heat of battle, Neji and Tenten had begun fighting in a positioning that left them in almost-perfect alignment with the young boy. I rolled off the tree branch without thinking, dropping a few steps behind him. I couldn't move myself in time to get himself and myself out of the line of fire, so I took the hit myself. I brought my arm up, where it embedded itself, before I collapsed to the ground in pain with a groan. The branch was a good three, if not more, feet in the air, and I had just rolled off of it to land heavily on my feet. It jarred my whole body, especially the healing ribs. I could still hear the sounds of battle, so my teammates hadn't noticed my collapse.

"Maia!" Ryu cried, turning to help me. The sounds ceased as the two probably turned to look at me. I pushed myself off the ground, with a little help from Ryu, before yanking the kunai out of my arm and throwing it at a tree, where it hit soundly, quivering for a moment from the impact.

"Are you alright, Maia?" Tenten called, the two moving over to help me.

"One of your kunai went astray. It would have hit Ryu." I explained as Neji took my arm gently and bandaged it. "The doctors are going to be mad." I said wryly. "Since they told me not to do anything strenuous, and I just dropped off of that tree branch up there." I pointed above my head. Tenten whistled.

"Yep. They won't be happy."

"Neji, can you see if I re-broke anything?" I asked. He nodded as he tied off the bandages around my arm. Then, he invoked his Byakugan and scanned me. I pointed towards where I'd been told the fractures I had were at. He looked in those areas specifically and shook his head.

"I can see the fractures. They aren't broken. Not yet, anyway. Be careful – we don't need you in the hospital again." I nodded, and, after another glance from the two, they went back to practicing.

That was how our days passed. During the weekdays, I'd wake up, get Ryu up, and take him to school. Then, I'd go watch the two work on Neji's moves. He was trying to learn something that went along with his Gentle Fist style and Byakugan. It was called Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms. It took him a lot of work to get the style down, especially since he wasn't being taught by another Hyuuga. Finally, by the time my ribs were deemed fit for me to fight all out again, he had figured out the technique. Now, Tenten was given respite from the vigorous training. She was being used as the dummy, since he needed a target with chakra points to learn it. It was my turn to be beat up on. And so it went. He refined this technique, but he also had another he wanted to learn, and time was running out. It was called the Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation. We just called it Rotation though. It was supposedly a move that would allow him to block many attacks at one time. So, Tenten and I threw weapons at him repeatedly. Usually they either struck or he dodged at the last minute, and he'd get frustrated. Day after day went by and we were slowly, but surely, running out of time. Everyday he'd practice his Eight Trigrams before we went on to try to solve the mystery behind the Rotation.

It was three days before the chuunin exams, and we still were working on the Rotation. We threw our weapons, readying another for when he messed up, when suddenly there was a burst of light, followed by a blast of wind accompanying our weapons. When the wind dissipated and the light faded, I looked to where Neji had been standing. There was a small crater, and he stood in the center. He had his cocky smirk back, and, judging from the results, that meant he'd just preformed the Rotation.

"Finally! I'd begun to think we wouldn't have it by the exams." I exclaimed, relieved.

"Thank goodness." Tenten agreed. "Think you can do it again?"

"Only one way to find out." Neji countered.

"Right." Tenten and I said in unison, readying our weapons. We threw, and they were blasted back again. And again, and again, and again. After the fifth time, we paused.

"Alright Neji, you ready for the real thing?" Tenten asked with a smirk. He nodded, taking a stance.

"Maia, you might want to look out. Things are about to get dangerous." She whipped out two of her scrolls, the summoning ones, and I got the message. I turned to take cover, glancing up at the sun. Ryu would be here soon. "Twin Rising Dragons!" Tenten's voice called out from behind me. I didn't need to look to know that she was now high in the air, the scrolls unraveled around her. She'd be performing hand signs now, and next… I ducked behind a tree, pressing my back to it before peering around the corner, curious. The weapons rained down on Neji, and he spun, deflecting them all away. Tenten landed in a tree, well out of striking range of the weapons that were now flying from Neji. One embedded itself in the tree I was behind, and a second whizzed past my face by inches. When it was all calm, I stepped out from behind the tree and whistled.

"Wow. Good job, Neji." He grinned at me tiredly. "Let's take a break for a few minutes, and then start again, alright?" I suggested. That would give Ryu enough time to get here, so that he didn't emerge in the middle of flying weapons, some of which were almost as big as him. Neji nodded in agreement, taking a seat in the middle of the crater. "Heads up. Don't shoot this back at me. It's just water." I teased, tossing a canteen towards him, which he caught easily, unscrewing it and taking a long drink.

"Thanks."

"No problem." It was only a few minutes before Ryu entered the clearing, and paused at the edge.

"Whoa. What happened?" He asked his eyes huge as he looked around.

"Neji happened. For the next couple of days it won't be safe around here for you. I don't think I could stop weapons from hitting you. I had to take cover myself, and I'm no slouch."

"How'd Neji do it, then? There are lots and lots of weapons here." I smiled lightly.

"Wanna see? I'm sure Neji won't mind your watching him show off." I teased lightly. He nodded, and I looked to Neji.

"What do you say, Neji? Ready to have Tenten throw some more stuff at you?"

"Sure. Let's do this." He agreed, rising from his seated position, throwing the canteen back at me. I caught it and tossed it to the base of a tree before turning towards Ryu.

"You're coming with me. Only Tenten and Neji are allowed to be up close."

"Aww..." He said as I lifted him up.

"You can watch from where I stand, or not at all." I told him, quite seriously.

"Okay, okay." I moved us a few trees past the one I'd been behind earlier.

"We're out of range!" I called to them, and I set Ryu down in front of me. "Now, carefully, look around the tree. You'll see a flash of light, and then weapons will fly. If I'm right, we should be out of range, but there's no need to take any unnecessary risks, right?" Tenten preformed her jutsu, summoning many weapons, before throwing them down at Neji again. He spun, deflecting all of them with ease. Ryu gasped in pleasure and surprise, before I tugged him back behind the tree as the weapons flew in every direction. Once I was sure everything was done flying, I peered out to be sure. Then I let Ryu out from behind the tree.

"That was so cool, Neji!" He exclaimed, excited. I leaned against the tree as Ryu lavished Neji with praise. Neji looked a little smug himself, but did nothing but politely thank Ryu for his compliments. I watched the two with a light smile on my face.

"Alright, I suppose we should continue practicing, shouldn't we? We only have a few days left until the real deal." I called to them. Neji looked up and nodded.

"Wanna spar? I promise not to poison you on accident this time." The second time I sparred with him, I threw a poisoned kunai at him on accident and clipped him. He was out cold for about ten minutes, since it was a sleeping poison. He wasn't too terribly thrilled when I woke him up later, but there wasn't much I could do about it except take all of the poisoned kunai's and put them somewhere other than my holster. Needless to say, that day I only had approximately three kunai to work with. I'd come better prepared ever since.

"Hm. Alright." He agreed. Tenten and Ryu took a few steps back, getting out of the way of the impending battle. I drew two kunai. Tenten called to us to start, and Neji lunged at me. I ducked back and away, evading his hands deftly. I threw a kunai at him, which he caught and threw back. I blocked it, the metal meeting the metal of my kunai. This allowed him time I couldn't spare to get close to me, and he hit me in the stomach. It wasn't full force, but it wasn't a love tap either. No pain, no gain. I grimaced and moved away before he could invoke the eight trigrams. I perched in a tree a distance away for a moment before leaping away again as he lunged at me. I threw a kunai at him, pulling out a fistful of shuriken and another two kunai. I threw all of them at Neji, but he deflected them back at me. I threw my arms up to protect myself, getting a shuriken in the arm where it would have been at my face. As I lowered my arms, I dropped to the ground without looking to see where Neji was. That was my mistake.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" He yelled. Well, I was done for. I tried to move and get away, but there was no way to get out of range of his attack. He hit me. "Two palms!" Two more hits. "Four palms!" Again, more blows to my body. "Eight Palms!" His hits grew faster now, there was never a time when his hands weren't on my body inflicting damage. "Sixteen Palms! Thirty-two palms!" If I were capable of being able to see him hitting me, which I wasn't, he'd be moving at a speed so fast he'd be a blur. "Sixty-four palms!" His hits slammed me backwards and I hit a tree limply, sliding down onto my knees, my body lying limp from the attack. For about an hour I'd be completely useless – he'd blocked off all of my chakra points, making it impossible for me to move. I heard footsteps rush over to me, and Ryu came into my vision.

"Are you alright, Maia?" He asked, shaking my shoulder. I'd forgotten that he hadn't actually witnessed the after affects of the eight trigrams.

"She's completely incapacitated. The effects will wear off in an hour or so." Neji said, walking over to gently pull me into his arms, bridal style. My head rolled to a rest against his chest, giving me a view of the sky and his chin.

"Don't end your training on my account." I protested weakly. Neji looked up at the sun.

"We've trained long enough, don't worry. The sun is going down, and we've been here since morning." He carried me back to my apartment, waving off Tenten's offer to help carry me along. Instead, she walked next to Neji, chatting at us. Ryu followed along behind us – I heard his footsteps. They carried me all the way to the apartment – when we got there, Ryu fished the key out of my pocket and unlocked the door. He set me on a couch inside, and Tenten took a seat at my feet. Neji remained standing, his arms crossed, glancing around the room.

"You don't have to stay here. Ryu is here with me, so I won't get hurt or anything. If anything, he can go get one of you, okay?" I told them. "Really, I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…" Tenten said, and I nodded. "Alright. We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yup. Bright and early!" I acknowledged. The two said their goodbyes and left. "Do you have any homework, Ryu?" I asked my adopted sibling.

"Nope! And classes are cancelled too, until the chuunin exams end!" He said happily.

"That means you'll be coming to practice with me, then?" He nodded exuberantly. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "That's probably Neji or Tenten. They might have forgotten something. Could you get that?" I asked him, and he bounced across the room to open the door. However, when he didn't immediately let them in, I knew it wasn't someone he knew.

"Is Maia in?" A familiar feminine voice asked.

"I thought this was her home. We might have gotten the wrong apartment." A masculine voice added.

"This is Maia's house. Who're you?" Ryu asked warily.

"Let them in, Ryu. That's Mom and Dad." I called to him from the couch, not shifting. I still didn't have any mobility.

"Darling!" My mother called, entering the room. "How are you? Come give your mother a hug."

"I'd love to mom, but currently I am incapable of moving. I'll be alright in about an hour, though."

"Did you poison yourself? I told you that those chemicals are dangerous, but you wouldn't listen to me!" Mom demanded. She hadn't wanted me to become a kunoichi.

"No, mom." I sighed. "My teammate used me as a punching bag, that's all. His jutsu renders the one he hits incapable of moving for a time, because it blocks off our chakra. Anyway, all that aside, what are you doing here?" I asked, curious.

"Well, the chuunin exams of course. I heard you were taking them."

"Were, indeed. I didn't make it to the final round, though my teammate Neji – the one who used his jutsu on me – will be in them." I explained. "Have a seat, please." Ryu came and claimed the seat next to me as his own.

"Who is this boy, Maia?" My father asked, speaking for the first time since he'd entered.

"You mean you didn't get the papers?" I asked, shocked. I had assumed that they'd have arrived by now. Maybe they got misplaced. My parents shook their head. "This is Ryu Haru, my ward. I adopted him about a month and a half ago." I would have lifted my hand here to stop them from talking, but since I was paralyzed, I couldn't make that gesture, allowing them to rant at me.

"You did what? You're barely old enough to take care of yourself, much less another person. And without consulting us?" Was my mother.

"Young lady, we allowed you to become a shinobi so you could protect people, not to adopt them. Your lifestyle is too dangerous to allow you to have a child dependent upon you." My father stated. They would have continued too if I hadn't raised my voice at them.

"HEY!" I yelled, startling them into silence. "Just because I live alone as a kunoichi doesn't mean I can't take care of him. What do you think guard duty is? He was my ward before I adopted him, which was after his mother attacked him and his sister. Besides, he's learning to be a shinobi, and as soon as he's old enough, he'll be transferred to the ninja academy here in Konoha. He's already started his training. And, when I'm not here, he's at my teammate's house. Her mother watches over him for me. Speaking of homes, can I borrow some money? I need to get a larger apartment to fit the both of us." I explained, barely holding in a sigh of exasperation. I should have expected this, really.

"If you're so self-sufficient, you should be able to afford the lodgings yourself." My father told me.

"I haven't been able to go on many missions, seeing how we've been training for the chuunin exams. A lot of things get put on hold during this time. Besides, I don't protect the fire nation for money – I do it out of loyalty and love. It's a job I like, and that I'm good at." I could feel my fingers and toes tingling. Feeling was slowly returning to my body. My father sighed.

"Yes, I'll lend you the money." I smiled brightly.

"I'll pay you back as soon as I earn enough." I promised, but he shook his head.

"No, no. I'm your father, and you shouldn't need to pay me back for something like this." He set some money on the table. "This should be enough to get you a home, some groceries, and whatever else things you need as a kunoichi." He stood up and moved around, inspecting my home. They hadn't been here since they first bought it, and it changed quite a bit. Such as the poison desk I'd added, which he moved towards.

"Don't touch that." I told him as he reached out to mess with some of the vials. He paused, his hand still extended. "Some of that is deadly, and in my state, I wouldn't be able to administer an antidote. You would die." I told him, very seriously. He retracted his arm from the desk. "As a kunoichi, my life is dangerous. As a poison-user, my life is doubly dangerous. Most of my poisons won't kill, but there are some that will, and even some plants that do, if you aren't careful with them." I told him patiently. He stayed standing, looking at the desk from a distance. An awkward silence followed my statement.

"Well, we should get going. We'll be in a hotel nearby, and we'll come by tomorrow morning, if that's okay?" My father offered after a long moment.

"Nope. Ryu and I are training tomorrow until the evening. I'll probably be in this state more than once tomorrow. I don't think you want to come to training, either. It's really dangerous, and you probably wouldn't like seeing me get beaten up on by my teammate." My mother smiled ruefully, while my father frowned.

"No, I suppose we wouldn't." My mother agreed. "How about dinner tomorrow?" I nodded.

"Sure, that'd be nice. We'll be there." They smiled. After farewells, in which my parents hugged me and all that fun soppy stuff they liked to do, they left.

"Well, Ryu," I said, glancing at a clock. "We have an early day ahead of us. Why don't you go grab something to eat then get some rest? I'll do the same once I can move." Ryu nodded and went to do as I asked, leaving me alone in the room with my thoughts.


	10. Final Exam

Huh. That was weird. I totally updated this yesterday, but was just not having any of it. So, sorry for the belated update! Anyways... We're in the double digits now! [I spent a whole minute trying to type ! instead of Q... typing one handed sucks (but icecream cones are yummy!) XD] Naruto, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gai-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi... you get the point... don't belong to me!

* * *

**Chapter Ten – **_Final Exam_

It was finally the morning of the chuunin exams. My parents had gone ahead to the stadium while Ryu and I went to meet Tenten and Neji at the training grounds. We had a few minutes for some last minute practice. When I got there, Tenten was breathing a bit harder than usual and was knelt on the ground, along with a couple hundred dangerous weapons.

"Amazing. Not even a scratch. It's perfect. Right, Neji?" She breathed. The girl was wearing maroon, almost skin tight pants and a teal top with a few yellow and pink threads, along with the usual blue ninja sandals. Her hair, as usual, was up in its buns.

"You aren't going to be too tired for the match, will you?" I asked, my eyes assessing him quickly. He was breathing lightly, but he hadn't even worked up much of a sweat. I leaned lightly against a tree, Ryu standing next to me. I was in a black dress that was tight at the chest, growing loose as it flowed down to stop mid-calf. Underneath was a fishnet top, which covered my arms and chest nicely. There was a slit all the way up to my hips on the dress; beneath it I wore tight black pants that reached my ankles. At the waist of my pants, just under the slit of my dress, were the kunai holsters that I now carried everywhere since the chuunin exams. One to carry my poisoned weapons, one to carry poisons, antidotes, and a few healing vials, along with bandages to keep them from breaking against each other. My feet were covered with ninja sandals, black to match my clothes. I had my long black hair down loose, as always, and on my forehead was my hitai-ate. Ryu was in a dark blue shirt, with no adornments, and black shorts. His feet had his ninja sandals, and at his hip was a kunai holster as well. I'd gotten him one last week.

"This was just a warm up. Let's get going, alright?" Neji, the only one of our team to make it through the exams, said, beginning to walk away. He was in his normal attire, as he was the only one that was going to fight today. At his forehead was his hitai-ate, its long straps resting lightly on his shoulders. His torso was covered with the usual beige jacket with the Hyuuga symbol on the arm. His right arm had bandages from his elbow to the middle of each of his fingers. His pants were a dark brown with a kunai holster at his waist. His right leg, like his arm, was covered with bandages as well. His feet were clad in blue ninja sandals.

The three of us followed after him, a silent entourage to our teammate. If only Lee were here, and then it would be perfect. The four of us made our way to the stadium. Once we arrived, we wished Neji luck before parting ways with him. He had to check in as a competitor. Ryu, Tenten, and I, we were bound for the stadium, where we would watch the battles that were to take place today. We moved to the stands and found seats next to each other, with Ryu in between the two of us. We waited in suspense for when the third exam would begin. Finally, after a long fifteen minutes, eight people walked onto the field. One was Hayate, the jounin who had proctored the preliminary rounds. The other seven were those who had made it to the finals. Sabaku Gaara, Sabaku Temari, Sabaku Kankuro – that puppet master that had beaten her -, Uzumaki Naruto, Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, and our teammate Hyuuga Neji. Wait. Wasn't there supposed to be nine competitors? Where was that Dosu guy? I'd heard he'd moved on. And Sasuke, where was he? I heard murmurs through the crowd. Others had noted the absence of Sasuke too. After some chatter amongst the competitors and Hayate, the first match, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji, began.

"I vow to win!" Naruto's confident voice rose up from where he was standing. Neji, cool as a cucumber, invoked Byakugan and took his Gentle Fist stance, waiting. Suddenly, a cyclone of wind gusted through, picking up dust from the ground.

"Alright. Let the first match," Hayate paused for a moment. "Begin!" The proctor moved out of the way. The two boys stood staring at each other from a distance. Neji shifted forward slightly. Suddenly, Naruto threw three kunai. Neji blocked all three with a kunai, catching one before it hit his face, as Naruto flew across the ground to attack him.

"You idiot!" I heard some guy yell. "A frontal attack will never work!" I smirked. Of course not. Neji was one of the best. Neji easily deflected Naruto's punch, sending him easily along his way. Naruto tried to kick him, and ended up landing a few feet away, only to lunge at Neji again. Naruto started throwing punches rapidly, which Neji blocked. When Naruto tried to kick him, Neji pushed him away. Naruto used the momentum to spin himself around into a flying kick, which Neji deftly evaded.

"Naruto, watch out!" I heard Sakura, his teammate, yell. Naruto lunged in again, but stopped short as Neji hit him lightly in the chest – scoring the first hit of the battle. Naruto paused, eyes wide at the affect of the hit. "Naruto, he can see your chakra points!" Sakura cried futilely. It wasn't like he could hear any of us from up here, except for if everyone was cheering. Naruto rolled backwards and landed on his back as Neji attacked his shoulder. Naruto rolled over to sit, clutching his shoulder. After a moment he rose, forming a hand seal. Suddenly there were five Naruto's on the field. They all drew kunai, excluding one who stood behind the four others.

"Heh, well we'll just see about that!" The Naruto's yelled to something Neji said.

"It's no use." Tenten said smugly. "No matter how many times Naruto attacks him; Neji can win on his defense alone." I nodded in agreement as the four clones lunged at Neji. Neji leapt over two, using their shoulder as leverage, before blocking the next two who attacked with kunai. The fifth, which hadn't drawn a weapon, came in to knee him, lifting him off the ground.

"Did he hit him?" I said, slightly stunned.

"Just wait." Tenten replied. Two clones rushed Neji again from the sides. Neji leapt, spinning, kicking both clones in the face. Two more Naruto's ran at him from behind, which Neji deflected easily, pushing them forward. Neji hit them both in the stomach with what I knew to be chakra-infused hands. Neji took out the last clone, leaving the original to stand on the field. I sighed in mild relief. They started to speak again, and Neji put down Naruto's dream to become Hokage, and how everything is fated. I, and Tenten, knowing that he was one to believe strongly in fate, wasn't too perturbed by his statements. Naruto brusquely ignored him, though, before making at least fifty more clones of himself.

They all rushed him, and Neji fought valiantly, defending himself against the attacks easily. Not many blows landed on a part of Neji that wasn't his arms, which he used to block the attacks. Neji rushed through the group of Naruto's, making a beeline for a Naruto that had been hanging back at the edge of the crowd of Naruto's, letting the others fight. Neji hit him in the chest, and some clones disappeared. Naruto just started laughing, before the clone disappeared. It hadn't been the real Naruto. He was pretty smart, for a dunce. Two clones attacked him, and Neji smirked, using Rotation to deflect Naruto and the clone back. Now, once again, only one Naruto stood on the field. Well, more like lay.

"Did you really think you could defeat me?" Neji said mockingly. And then there were seven Naruto's on the field again, standing around Neji. Fool. Neji just preformed Rotation again, destroying the clones. "This is the end for you. You're in range, and you can't escape my Eight Trigrams." Naruto rose from the crouched position he had landed in as Neji took an all too familiar pose. I felt sorry for Naruto, having felt this attack multiple times myself. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms." Neji stated, before flying across the field to hit Naruto, yelling out his hits as he went. Two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and then finally, sixty-four palms had landed on Naruto's body, and he flew away a few feet to land on his back.

"Looks like it's over." Hayate stated, moving to the two. Somehow, Naruto was moving around still. A feat I found amazing. Neji started berating Naruto again, and I kinda tuned it out. Naruto managed to stand up on his own two feet, all by his lonesome. When Neji pulled his hitai-ate off, though, I listened in again. On his forehead was a green tattoo, an x shape with two hook-like shapes on either side.

He told a story of his life, how his life had been horrible. It wasn't something I'd ever heard myself. I listened, leaning forward as if I could hear better if I moved a few inches closer. He turned to look up at Lord Hiashi, I assumed, since he mentioned him in his next statement. He told us of how he was placed under the curse mark, of what it was used for. How his father had the mark used against him, and how his father had been used to protect the leader of the Hyuuga clan with his own death. How the Branch family was used to defend the Main Branch and those who would steal their secrets. Neji, finally, after the long story, put his hitai-ate back over the curse mark on his forehead. Neji darted over to Naruto and hit him a couple more times in the chest, and Naruto cried out, falling to his side.

"Proctor!" Neji called. "This is over." And still Naruto rose, holding his stomach, breathing hard. After a period of time, Naruto created a hand seal. I, Tenten, and Neji knew he couldn't use any chakra, but he seemed determined to try anyway. Neji shook his head at the futility of his actions. Suddenly, Naruto was surrounded by red chakra, like Sasuke had been with the dark purple chakra. Neji looked shocked at something he saw within Naruto. I was just surprised Naruto had chakra.

"This can't be happening!" Tenten said in disbelief. "No way!"

"How is he doing that?" I found myself muttering in shock. A wind had picked up in the stadium below, and it seemed to be emanating from Naruto, just like the chakra. Finally, it dispersed for the most part, the chakra flowing from Naruto's body. He looked like a living flame. Naruto looked at his hand, almost in surprise. Then, he disappeared, just as fast as Lee. Neji turned, and I spotted Naruto, who threw shuriken. Neji preformed rotation and caught the shuriken, adding a few of his own to the mix. Naruto dodged easily. Suddenly, Neji moved, and Naruto attacked, so fast I wouldn't have noticed him until it was too late. They threw kunai at each other, dodged backwards, then leapt at each other, catching the kunai in midair. Neji deflected Naruto's attack, but it seemed rushed, as if he only barely managed it. And then, there was an explosion. It was enormous; a giant cloud of smoke filled the field.

Then, when it cleared, there were two holes in the ground, and the only person to be seen was Hayate. A hand appeared from one of the holes, and then Neji climbed out of the hole, coughing. I can't believe he'd survived a fall like that. I heard Tenten sigh in relief next to me. I released the arms of the seat I had been clutching unconsciously, relieved that he was alright. More smoke cleared, and Naruto was seen unconscious. Neji spoke, and then suddenly, he paused. A hand appeared from the ground, and Naruto appeared, punching Neji square in the jaw.

"I... can't move!" Neji exclaimed from his spot on the ground. He was on his back, staring up at the sky. "I should've guessed you'd used that shadow clone jutsu. It's your specialty after all. I was careless."

"For the record, I failed the graduation exam three times," He paused for a deep breath. "'cause there was this one jutsu that was always on the exam, and it tripped me up every time. It was the one jutsu I just couldn't master. My clones were pathetic. That's right, I flunked the shadow clone jutsu every time. So don't come whining to me with the destiny stuff, and don't try to tell me you can't change what you are. You can do it too, 'cause unlike me, you're not a failure."

"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki." Hayate proclaimed, and the crowd cheered. Naruto grinned up at the crowd and ran around, waving his arms like an idiot. I sighed, leaning back in my seat, face in my hand.

"I can't believe he actually did it." I muttered, shocked. Neji was the strongest man on our team, and he was beaten by that annoyance Naruto. "Neji is going to be furious." All around us, people were exclaiming their surprise as Neji was carried off the field by medical nin. I looked up as they were disappearing off the field, and then Naruto was being ushered off the field by Hayate so the next match could begin. It was the match between Sasuke and Gaara. The crowd was getting restless, and couldn't stop yelling and calling for the match to begin. Hayate, after discussion with another leaf shinobi, called to the crowd.

"Listen, everyone. One of the competitors from the next battle has not arrived yet. So we're going to postpone this match briefly, and simply jump ahead to the battle that would have followed this one." The crowd cheered in excitement and relief. "Then onto the next battle." Hayate called. "So, Shino and Kankuro, come down."

"Proctor! I withdraw." The voice of Kankuro, which I had learned in my last fight, called through the stadium. "I withdraw, so please, move on to the next match."

"Due to Kankuro's withdrawal, Aburame Shino wins by default." A girl floated down on a fan in the moments the crowd was shouting in discontent. "And you are?"

"It's my turn, right?"

"You're an eager one, aren't you? Fine, let's start the match." After a pause, the proctor spoke. "Shikamaru Nara, come on!" The guy fell from the competitors stands to land on his back at the base of the wall.

After a huge fight based mainly on defense and shadow manipulation, Shikamaru quit. And he had been doing well too - he should have won! I wasn't as into the match as I had been for Neji's - Shikamaru and Temari meant nothing to me, since I didn't know them - so while I did watch, I wasn't overzealous in my attention.

Finally, when they had cleared the area, the proctor gave Sasuke ten minutes to arrive. It was the longest ten minutes I've ever had to endure, and it must have been worse for others, since they couldn't shut up for two seconds to let a person think. Naruto was stalking around in the arena, and Shikamaru seemed to be trying to cool him down a bit, but it was impossible to hear with all the noise. Finally, the proctor spoke to the crowd.

"Alright, the time limit has expired. So I am officially calling the match-" He paused as leaves suddenly began swirling behind him. When they cleared, Sasuke and Kakashi were standing there.

"Sorry we're late. You wouldn't believe the traffic." Kakashi said.

"And you are?" Hayate asked.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke replied, and then the crowd went wild.

"He isn't disqualified, is he?"

"No, he's not. But if we hadn't extended the time limit, twice in fact, he would be." Hayate replied. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kakashi cleared the arena so that the fight could ensue. I, like everyone else, was looking forward to seeing this fight. I wanted to see Gaara's style myself, because I hadn't seen what he'd done to Lee.

Sasuke was fast. He was almost as fast as Lee, whose sensei was as anal retentive on taijutsu as Gai-sensei. Sasuke started circling Gaara, causing a dust cloud, confusing Gaara, before leaping in to attack him dead on. Then, Gaara made a hand sign, and his sand surrounded him as an impenetrable ball. Sasuke tried to punch it, but spike formed, nearly causing him to impale himself. When he moved away, the spikes retracted. Sasuke ran at the ball, throwing kunai at it, punching it, kicking it, dodging the spikes that formed, but he couldn't penetrate the sand. Sasuke flipped to the wall, before jumping up it, nearly going to the very top before sitting there, forming hand signs. Then, after a moment, his left hand started glowing with bright, white light - like lightning - and it was making a noise; it sounded like birds. Sasuke ran down the wall and at the shell Gaara was hiding behind. Sasuke dodged the spikes before thrusting his lightning infused hand into the shell, causing it to break around his hand. Only that point of impact broke - the rest stayed as solid as it had been before.

A horrendous scream echoed through the stadium. "Blood! It's my blood!" Gaara's voice ripped through the air. Sasuke tried to withdraw his arm, but couldn't, and so he invoked his attack again, and yanked his arm backwards. What emerged with it was the creepiest thing I'd ever seen. It was a huge beige arm, veined with purple streaks. I had never seen anything like it before. Sasuke stared at the hole he'd made in the defense in curiosity, or maybe it was fear - I couldn't tell - and then a roar emitted from where Gaara was. The shell began to crack, and then it disintegrated. Gaara stood there, looking as hale and hearty as ever, as if nothing weird had happened. Gaara was holding his shoulder, where blood was dripping profusely.

And then, all I could see were white feathers, and I was growing very tired. I looked around blearily, and saw that people were falling asleep all around me. What was this? I thought quickly, as Ryu and Tenten passed out next to me. I formed a single hand sign, understanding what was going on. I used genjutsu myself, after all.

"Release!" The exhaustion faded away instantly, as if I hadn't been immensely tired a moment before. However, that took second place in my mind as an explosion occurred from the Hokage's seat. I looked up in concern, staying seated so as not to draw attention to myself. A team of ANBU rushed to the scene, and then the Kazekage was leaping above the seat, one arm around the Hokage's throat. The ANBU leapt at the two, but a purple barrier flew up before them. The one unlucky ANBU that hit it caught on fire and died. The sound of metal clashing against metal made me turn my head to see what was going on. I saw Kakashi standing over a ducked down Sakura, two sound ninja dying at his blade. I rose from my seat to help fight, pulling out two blades. I lunged at my nearest enemy, stabbing him in the arm with my paralysis poison before leaping to another. I stabbed a second with my other kunai, leaving it in his arm as I dodged the blow of a third. I leapt over to Sakura, who was cowering, trying to stay inconspicuous. A sound ninja came at me, and I kicked at him, but he dodged and knocked me backwards. Kakashi caught me and punched the guy who was leaping to finish the deed, before landing near Sakura.

"Sakura, it was worth teaching you genjutsu during survival training for the genin exam. You really do have a talent for it. And you, Maia, you also seem to have an aptitude for it, seeing how you are awake as well."

"I use genjutsu myself, sir." I explained, crouching near him, staying low as a fight continued around us.

"I see. At any rate, release the genjutsu on Naruto and wake him. Naruto will be delighted - he's getting a mission after such a long time."

"What kind of mission?" Sakura asked, staring at the back of her teacher. I turned to look at her, and I leapt, stabbing a guy in the chest who was creeping up behind her.

"You'll have to be careful. This will be your first A-rank mission since the Land of the Waves." No way. Sakura had been on an A-rank mission and survived? I was shocked, no offense to Sakura or anything. Kakashi killed a man that came at him, throwing him backwards. Sakura gasped and ducked away.

"But sensei, what are you doing? With this battle going on, why send us off on some mission?" Well, she did have a point. I was itching to fight as well.

"Sasuke is chasing Gaara and the other sand ninja. Sakura, release the genjutsu from Naruto and wake him, and then follow Sasuke."

"But, then, shouldn't we wake Ino and Chouji and go in a group?" She argued. I shook my head.

"No time. I suspect many sound and sand shinobi have infiltrated the village. Besides, if you have more than four ninja essential to a squad, it takes longer to get anything done, and it gets more difficult to hide from the enemy. You learned that in academy patrol training, didn't you?"

"Of course." She said, almost offended.

"Yes, sir." I replied immediately.

"With four squad members, that means you're coming with us, right?" Sakura continued.

"No." Kakashi said, dashing her hopes. Well, mine too, but I'm not going to admit that. I'd rather have a jounin on the team any day. "I must not leave this place. Summoning jutsu!" After a cloud of smoke disappeared, a dog was revealed, one that was wearing a Konoha headband. "Pakkun here will lead you to Sasuke by tracking his scent."

"Wait, seriously. Our fourth member is a puppy?" The dog leapt over to her.

"Alright, listen little girl. Don't go around saying I'm just some cute puppy." Pakkun growled.

"Ok, Sakura, go disperse the genjutsu." She nodded and crawled out of her aisle. I followed suit and covered her as she formed the hand sign to release Naruto. After a moment, he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What's going on?"

"Get down!" She yanked Naruto down as a kunai flew at them. More kunai flew and connected above us, and Naruto sat up cautiously.

"Careful." I warned, holding a kunai protectively before me.

"Behind you!" Sakura yelled. I whirled and a sand ninja was there behind Naruto, about to do him in. I moved to stop him, knowing I'd be too late, when suddenly the guy was shoved into the wall behind us. Gai-sensei had thrown him there, and was now pinning him in place.

"Gai-sensei!" I said in relief.

"So fast..." The guy said in shock.

"Not just fast; powerful." Gai-sensei replied, shoving him through the wall, causing a giant hole to be formed.

"Now I'll explain the mission." Kakashi landed before me, facing away to ensure there would be any danger. "As soon as I do, go through that hole. First, track down Sasuke and stop him. Then find a safe location and await further orders."

"Did something happen to Sasuke?" Naruto asked, confused. I didn't blame him; he'd been out of it.

"I'll tell you on the way." Sakura whispered. "Let's go!" She yanked him out the opening. Pakkun and I followed after them quickly, so that they didn't leave us behind. Pakkun quickly took the lead position, with Naruto directly behind, followed by Sakura. I took the end position, staying alert for enemies; even though we had a dog that could probably tell me faster when an enemy was coming upon us. We crossed through the trees quickly. Their speed, while it was fast, was slow compared to my speed. However, I didn't want to get lost, so I kept to the speed they went, itching to speed up so that we could catch up faster.

"I see, so that's what happened. I guess Sasuke got all impatient." Naruto said after Sakura explained it.

"I can't believe the Sand attacked us." I said moving forward so I could speak without yelling. "They're our allies. Even more than that, I can't believe we have to chase after Sasuke. He shouldn't have run off without a team to help him."

"It can't be helped, okay? We're following Kakashi-sensei's orders." Sakura replied, almost annoyed.

"This way!" Our path changed as Pakkun forced us to turn.

"How long 'til we catch up?" Naruto asked impatiently. He was ready for a fight too.

"I don't know. A long time if they keep moving at this pace." Pakkun replied.

"Oh come on!" Naruto complained. I rolled my eyes as we fell into silence, staying alert for enemies.

"Come on you guys, hurry up!"

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Did you see Sasuke?" Naruto asked, excited.

"No. There are two squads following us. That's eight ninja. Wait, no, there's one more. That's nine ninja."

"What?" Naruto was genuinely shocked.

"Well, we are enemy shinobi, off to help Sasuke with whatever he was doing. It must be important if they're sending this many shinobi after us." I said patiently, explaining the situation.

"It looks like they haven't discovered our location, yet. We need to lose them." Pakkun added. We landed on the ground and Pakkun paused.

"What's the big deal? Why are we stopping?" Naruto demanded.

"Shut up and follow me." Pakkun replied tersely. He started walking backwards over his footprints. I'd seen this, and done this once, before, so I followed suit without hesitation. "We're going back over our foot prints. If we pull this off, our foot prints will seem to disappear."

"Ugh, is this really going to do anything?" Naruto complained, doing as we had. "I mean, they'd have to be really lame ninja if this throws them off our trail."

"It will buy us time, and that's what we need right now." Pakkun replied, waiting in the trees with me for Sakura and Naruto. Sakura finished and landed next to me.

"Hurry up!" She yelled as Naruto continued to take up time.

"I know! Quit bugging me!" He leapt backwards to us, and then followed as we moved out.

"This is not good. Be prepared for an ambush. They're back on our trail."

"They're probably chuunin or higher." I said, in a matter of fact tone. "We'll be wiped out if they catch up to us."

"Listen guys, we don't have much of a choice. We'll have to ambush them." Naruto announced.

"An ambush? That could work. It would give us an advantage, even if there are twice as many of them as us. If we could just catch them off guard..."

"No, that won't work." Pakkun said, almost disappointed. "I'm afraid the ninja chasing us are Orochimaru's henchmen. My guess is that they're all jounin level."

"If they weren't all jounin, it may have worked." I said sadly. What else could we do? They were going to catch us at this rate.

"Hang on, why wouldn't it work?" Sakura asked. "The level of the opponent doesn't matter in the case of an ambush, does it?"

"You guys don't get it. Yes, an ambush is a good battle tactic and is very useful. However, in order for it to work, you have to meet two conditions." I told them, feeling slightly superior.

"What're the conditions? We'll meet them." Naruto demanded.

"First, we, the pursued, would have to be extremely silent, and we would have to find the enemy first. Second, we would have to find them, the pursuers, and catch them off guard in a location where we can do a lot of damage quickly, and then conceal ourselves just as quickly." I paused, taking a breath. "And only under those two conditions will an ambush be successful. The first condition would be easy for us, since we have Pakkun's nose on our side. The second also would seem to be in our favor, since we know the geography of the village like the back of our hands. However, Orochimaru was a former leaf ninja, so he knows the lay of the land just as well, and will have drilled his men in the knowledge of the land. Besides, they probably are masters of the pursuit jutsu."

"So they've already won?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. So many things are uncertain. Besides, the unit following us would be a special unit put together just for this operation. And what are the four of us? A goofball, a kunoichi who doesn't have any special talent, a dog with a good nose, and me, the chick who's only good with poisons. Look, we need to make a plan, and there's only one that I can find that makes any sense."

"What would that be?" Sakura asked curiously.

"A diversion that looks like an ambush. So one of us is going to have to sacrifice themselves' to slow them down."

"One of us will be a decoy."

"That's right. If we can delay them, they shouldn't be able to find the rest of the group. However, whoever acts as the decoy will, as I said, probably be a sacrifice. They'll most likely die." Sakura and Naruto stopped, and I stopped as well, letting them take the full weight of the words on. "So, who's going to be the one that does it? We need the dog to follow Sasuke, so that means it has to be one of us."

"Alright, I guess I-" I cut Naruto off.

"I'm the only one that can do it." I told them decisively.

"Maia!" Sakura cried softly.

"Why you?" Naruto demanded.

"Better me than all of us, right? Besides, I'm the only one who has a chance of pulling off the attack and surviving. I've been on a couple of missions where I've taken on many more shinobi than I. I have poisons that will work in my favor. Also, I'm not really part of your team - I'll just get in the way later on. I have a better chance in playing a part here than later on." I told them, jumping to the rear with a sigh. I didn't tell them that of all the times I fought higher level ninja, I had backup pretty quick. I didn't tell them that I was so scared it felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. I also didn't say that the most shinobi I'd ever taken on at once was three, and that was on my most recent mission, where I'd used my genjutsu, and I had barely held them off, and would have died if my team hadn't caught up. I slid my hand into my kunai holster, searching to see if I had any soldier pills, but alas, I didn't. So, I wasn't going to use the genjutsu on them. "Don't worry, after I take care of them, I'll catch up later."

"We're counting on you, Maia!" I waved back at Naruto. "Sakura, let's go." I let my hand drop. I had to figure out a way to do this without dying. First, I had to simulate a track that would pull them off the others trail. I immediately dropped to the ground and made sets of foot prints like before - and fashioned some wood to look like dog prints. Then, I lay in wait for them to stumble over my path, hiding behind it so that they'd end up in front of me. I heard footsteps and became silent, looking up from my hiding place. Men landed before me, not even ten feet away. I could easily hit them with weapons. I stood silently, lifting my hands. In both hands I held three kunai - one between each of my main fingers. Two in each hand were paralysis poison, and the third was a deadly poison. I'd use more of the latter, but I only carried around two. However, this was extremely serious, and if I had to kill to protect myself, the village, and the others that went ahead, I would do it.

"Fatigue and anxiety has made his steps irregular." So I was a boy now? Great. When he stood, I threw quickly, grabbing more kunai. I hit four with my kunai - by the time the first two were hit they were all on guard. Two buried themselves into nearby trees; as I threw two more kunai, one from each hand - both without poison - I glanced at them quickly. Neither was the deadly poison, meaning two people were going to die here at least, even if all else failed. Two others would be paralyzed.

"Oops, sorry to make you feel bad, but I'm not a boy." I told them sarcastically. "I guess I'm not what you expected. I may be a little tired, but that's all you got right."

"She's just a kid!" One called, as the others lunged at me. Even with two being paralyzed and becoming slowed, there were still six until the other two deadly ones did their job. Until then, I had to be extremely cautious about what hit me so that I wasn't poisoned myself. I dodged and ducked attacks, parrying blows with two new kunai as I needed to. I realized that while the clothes I was wearing were nice and all, they weren't the best for fighting. Sure, there weren't any sleeves, and I still had pants, but the long dress-like part of it made it hard to move around with. It kept trying to wrap around my legs, and that was getting really annoying. If I ever wore anything like this again, it would have to stop at mid-thigh instead of calf, just so that it was above my knees and wouldn't get caught like this. Yes, that would do. I'd cut this stupid dress thing as soon as I was done here. I drug out two more kunai; one was sleep poison and one was paralysis. Whatever, I didn't care if I mixed poisons here. They could die for all I cared. As I parried, I tried to slice them, even a little, but they were too quick for me. I stabbed one in the side, leaving the knife there to draw another one as I dodged - moving straight into the kick of another, which sent me flying into a tree. I got my feet below me before I landed, springing to the side, ducking and rolling before coming up, swinging my kunai up to block one that was coming down. I was getting tired very quickly. I stabbed at the man's stomach, making him flinch away, ducking as two more men came to hit me. This was no good. Two were dead I noted. I'd tripped over one earlier. Three were paralyzed or asleep. That left four – including the one that Pakkun hadn't noted at first. But when they landed, there had only been eight – and currently there were only three men standing. Where was the fourth?

Then it hit me. Of course! The last one was a rearguard, just in case an ambush was pulled against the main party. I wouldn't know when he'd arrive or where he'd strike from. I blocked an attack when there was a loud rustle from the tree behind me. Since I had already attacked the men openly and he hadn't blocked the blades, the ninth obviously hadn't caught up when the battle began. So, he would bide his time until the time was right for him to strike. Now, when his friends were distracting me, I would be the perfect target for them. I threw both my blades at the ninja furthest from me, trying to see if the ninth would stop them. Stop them he did, and as I ducked and rolled to get away from an attack – sending me closer to the tree that held the enemy – the leader, who I managed to not down in this whole foray, spoke as I drew two more kunai, both with the markers of paralysis. They would be my last ones if I counted right, then I'd be down to sleeping ones.

"It's no use, kid. I can see right through your attacks. It's obvious, from the way our friends are down with just one hit, and with the markings on your kunai, you're using poisons. All we have to do is keep from being touched by one of your blades and eventually, you'll fall. It looks like you're in a bind." I sighed, glancing up at the sky. Was this going to be it? Would I die here for people that I didn't know? To save people I'd been put on a team with that I wasn't fond of? Without my teammates, Tenten, Neji, and Lee at my back? What would happen to Ryu when I died here? Would my parents let him be a shinobi, would they even take him in? I steeled myself. Whatever. It didn't matter. I looked back to the man.

"No one is perfect. You'll slip up and then you'll fall to my blades." I said, belligerently. He smirked at me while his fellows laughed. Instead of attacking me, the leader just spoke again, but this time, it wasn't to me.

"Hey! Come out. And when you do, cut off her head!" My eyes widened, and I heard movement, and I knew it was the end. I wouldn't be fast enough to stop whatever it was coming at me. A person landed behind me, and I waited for the death blow. After a moment, when it didn't come, I risked a look back, and my eyes saw a green jounin vest.

"Asuma!" I gasped softly, completely taken off guard. I'd met him once, with the rest of my team, when he'd spoken to Gai-sensei one day. If I recalled correctly, he was Shikamaru's sensei. I was trembling slightly, and I hoped he didn't notice. Over his shoulder was the last sound ninja, which he threw to the ground.

"Good job, Maia. You've done very well." I wasn't surprised that he knew my name. He'd been at the preliminary matches, and I, along with the rest of my teammates, had been introduced to him. "However, the battle isn't finished yet. Let's go!"

"Yes sir!" I said, and as he leapt over me to attack the two in the back, I lunged for the leader, finding a new energy within me. I supposed it was the relief of still being alive mixed with fear and adrenaline. The leader was stunned that a second Konoha shinobi had arrived with their comrade over their shoulders, rather than my dead body before him. His shock was short lived however, as he raised his kunai out of habit to protect himself. If it hadn't been second nature to a shinobi to defend themselves without thinking, I'd have stabbed him through the throat. However, since that was the case here, my blade slid uselessly against his. I had a second kunai though, and while I feinted with the second, I stabbed his arm with the first. As he stared, shocked, I smirked triumphantly. "Don't underestimate Konoha." I told him, before knocking him out. I'd have killed him, but I figured the leader would be the best kept alive for interrogation. When I turned, I saw that Asuma was tying up the ones that were felled. Suddenly I felt pain all over; all the injuries I'd sustained from the fight that I'd ignored in the heat of battle were now first and foremost in my mind. I had a bad gash in my side and left arm, along with what I knew would be a bruise at my right hip, where that guy had kicked me. My back would be a mess of bruises too, from the tree I'd hit. There were minor scratches on my legs and arms, but they didn't hurt like the two gashes. I pulled out my bandages from the potion pouch and quickly began to bind them tightly.

"You did very well today, Maia. I wouldn't have expected such ferocity from you." Asuma told me after he finished tying them up. "Taking out five of them before I got here? That was very well done."

"I just caught them by surprise, Asuma. My poisons did all the work for me. If not for them, I'd have lost." I said modestly, looking down at my feet. I'd finished binding the wounds, though they still hurt, I wasn't going to die from blood loss.

"Either way, you did very well."

"Yes, sir. My training sensei's is what kept me alive." It was the truth, even though Gai-sensei's head would grow much larger if he heard that I'd said that. "Don't tell him I said that, or he'll start talking some strange youthful nonsense that Lee loves." Asuma laughed.

"We should head back. They'll wonder what happened to us." I said, interrupting his mirth. "We should take some of these back for interrogation." I took back my kunais, which were easily marked by the scraps of cloth on each of them. The two who were dead I grimaced at, but I took the kunai from their corpses anyway. I'd never killed a person before. Suddenly, I felt sick, and I turned to the bushes and let what was in my stomach – which wasn't much – come up. Well, not let necessarily, but it isn't like I had the power to stop the natural function. Asuma pulled my hair away from my face as I did so.

"I wish I didn't have to kill them." I muttered after. He let my hair go and helped me up. "They would have done the same to me. They wouldn't have cared. But the thought of having taken a life revolts me. Do you feel the same way, Asuma?" I looked up at him after spitting on the ground, trying to take the taste of bile out of my mouth. He handed me a small flask of water that he produced from his jounin vest, and I rinsed my mouth out while he spoke.

"Taking a life is very hard, Maia. Don't ever let anyone tell you any different. Most shinobi that are chuunin or higher will have eventually taken a life at one point or another. To feel remorse for what you have done only proves you are human. You did the deed because you had to. If there was another choice, if they weren't going to kill you, you wouldn't have killed them, but that wasn't the case. If you preserve life when you can, it is a sign you are a humane shinobi. However, after time, you will indeed become desensitized to death, because that is what we deal in. Your poisons can kill, your knife can kill, your hands can kill. It's what we are trained in. It's what we do. But we don't have to enjoy it." He told me solemnly. I nodded. I felt like I understood the gist of what he was saying. It was so rare to get Gai-sensei to be serious that I was glad I'd asked Asuma. "At any rate, we must be off." I handed him his flask of water back. He lifted two shinobi that were still alive – one was the leader. "Take one or two of these men, and let's go. The others will be dealt with later I'm sure." I nodded and lifted up one. I couldn't carry a second because I didn't have the strength after that battle.

What happened next was a bit of a blur. We returned to Konoha, and it was a mess. Walls were broken, buildings had collapsed. However, it seemed that many that weren't shinobi got out alright. Those who had been knocked out at the stadium had survived, as well as most of the villagers that had heeded the evacuation "drill" as I'd heard it had been called later. However, there was grave news for us all.

The Hokage, our leader, had been slain.

It was a heavy blow to the morale. We shinobi took care of his body. I say we very loosely, because while it was shinobi who took care of him, it was really done by the ANBU. None of us lower-level shinobi helped, other than to keep people calm and find places for those whose homes were destroyed to stay. My apartment, thankfully, survived. Only the few near the break in the wall had been damaged.

The next day was the funeral. I and Ryu woke to the bleak day. I set out black mourning clothes for him. The best he had was a black t-shirt and slacks with black sandals, so it had to do. I hadn't thought to get him fancy clothes – especially not mourning ones. Not yet, anyway. I thought he'd be too young to have to mourn any one, since he was not yet even a genin. I, however, had a black kimono for just this reason. Just in case someone near to me died in the line of battle. While the Hokage wasn't "near" per say, he was still close to us all. It was a black kimono-top, with a small v shaped dip that didn't go very far. Under it was a skirt that ended mid-thigh. They were of good material, and went well with the black sandals I'd worn the day before. After a silent breakfast, Ryu and I left the apartment.

We met with Tenten outside of the apartment before walking along to where we'd meet Neji and Lee. Together, the five of us walked to the top of the Hokage tower, where the service was being held. I paused at the base, looking up at the Hokage Mountain to stare at our passed on leader. My eyes wandered after a moment to the sky that was covered in gray clouds. It seemed even the world was mourning for his loss, for I could smell the rain that was inevitable. I followed my teammates and sibling up the tower then, to meet with the other shinobi of the village. We stood in a formation, the genin and chuunin, along with Ryu who was the only civilian allowed at this very private ceremony, on one half, the jounin and ANBU on the other. I felt bad for the shinobi who weren't able to make it because they had to defend the village. There would be another, more public ceremony later, but it wouldn't be nearly as close. We shinobi knew the Hokage best out of all in the village, and so we mourned him together. As we stood there, either looking straight ahead or down at the ground, mourning and praying for the Hokage and all who had fallen to defend the village, it began to rain. Slowly at first, just a few drops, and then quickly, the rain making a soft melody. The two council members who stood before us, in front of the shrine to the Hokage, then decided to speak. A male's voice carried softly over the crowd.

"We are gathered here to remember and honor, not only the third Hokage, but all those who sacrificed themselves in the battle so that our village would survive." Those were all the words needed to be said, and silence prevailed once more. After a period of time, the first group, those of the ANBU and jounin, moved forward to place a flower on the altar and remember him in passing. Slowly, the group went, and then it was our turn. The chuunin first, from the back, making their way forward to us genin at the front. Ryu walked before me, even though he wasn't yet a shinobi, a white flower in his hand. Tenten was before him, and before her were Neji and Lee. Neji set his flower down after pausing for a few moments. The same for Lee, and then Tenten. Ryu set his down after a brief moment. I wasn't even sure he knew exactly what was going on. I stepped up, and remembered the Hokage as I knew him.

He'd come to training once, and we'd showed off our skills to him. He'd praised my poison making. He'd been the one to show me how to better tenderize the herbs to get the most of their juice. He'd given me a poison recipe one day, remembering that I was learning to be a poison master. He'd eaten dinner with my team after a particularly hard mission. I smiled slightly, a tear running down my face, before setting the flower on the altar and moving away so the next person could lay their flower. I made my way back to my position next to Ryu. He grabbed my hand, looking for comfort, and I gently squeezed it in reassurance.

After a time, the rain stopped, and we walked away. We were sad, but we were ready to face whatever challenges came next. My team walked Lee back home. Then, Tenten to her place, because she was closest. Neji, Ryu, and I went separate ways, since our homes were an equal distance from Tenten's. I looked up at the sky, wondering why we fought, before remembering how many people we'd saved because of our efforts. I'd saved Sakura, Naruto, Pakkun, and Sasuke by playing sacrifice to those sound ninja. I was ready to die to protect them, and they weren't even my team. I understood why the Hokage and the others were ready to die for us, so that we could go on.


	11. Distractions

Sorry it took so long to update! I've been stressing a lot over my classes - but thankfully I'm finally dropping out of one of my courses into an easier level, so it'll be one less thing to worry about. Enjoy! I don't own Naruto, but I do own Maia, Ryu, and all the other OC Characters.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven – **_Distractions_

The days after the funerals, the shinobi were back to work. The ANBU captain had taken to giving out "missions" until a new Hokage was found. The missions weren't far from home – in fact, it was well within the borders of the fire nation. We were repairing the damage that the Sound Village and Orochimaru had created. There were houses to rebuild, walls to fix, people to find – for some were buried in the rubble, others were lost in the confusion –, and patrols to be mounted. We did all of these. Team Gai was sent on patrols and to clear rubble more often than not, but we did help out with the moving of stone for the walls and the lumber for houses. We weren't part of the reconstruction there – none of the shinobi was. Instead, there were people who were skilled at building walls and homes that were employed to do so, by the seal of the captain of the ANBU.

My most favorite and most hated job was on the first day, when we'd helped to find those missing people. It was my favorite, because families would be reunited. They may have been children that got lost in the chaos that the attack created or a husband that was trapped under rubble, but not too terribly injured to the point that a day or so would allow them to die. Maybe it was a genin. There were many that hadn't had time to check in with family members. Even before the first "official" day of these so-called missions, there were shinobi helping out the civilians. Some didn't make it home, being too tired to manage the distance, so they stayed with a friend. It may have been days before genin – who were mere children in their parents' eyes – were seen by their parents. To the genin, this was no big deal. Missions occurred often, and they were away from home for days at a time. The parents, having brought them into the world however, were entitled to their worry, and so we spent countless hours searching for children, both shinobi and civilian, to give the parents to give the parents the good news.

However, it could also be bad. Have you ever told someone that their child had been crushed by a falling stone? Their husband had been gutted by the enemy while he was protecting the lives of the rest of the village? Or worse, those parents who, like mine, didn't want their children to be shinobi because it was dangerous lost their genin to a stray kunai at the chuunin exams. I'd seen the fighting, how it was occurring everywhere – in the air above the competitors, on the backs of the seats, in the aisle – I had thrown my fair share of kunai at the enemy myself. If they had been deflected or dodged, who was to say that some helpless civilian, or shinobi that didn't release the genjutsu, wouldn't have been stabbed? Then they would break down into tears, and then you were stuck in that awkward position where you had to comfort them without knowing them. Neji seemed too aloof for that, staring at those – mainly the women-folk – with an unreadable stare. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice and Tenten and I attempted comfort. Lee wasn't there, thank goodness, or he'd have spouted some sort of nonsense probably. He was confined to the hospital, though I had heard he'd been to the chuunin exams just before the attack.

I hadn't seen my parents since the dinner a few nights before the chuunin exams. It was now two days after the Hokage had been assassinated. The night of the attack we'd stayed at home, merely because that was where the clothes were and where I knew Ryu could be found. After that, I got rest whenever I could. We were given guard duty late into the night the day of the funeral, so I had Ryu stay with Tenten. I crashed at her place after; instead of carrying his heavy form all the way back to my apartment. The next day we were all over the village. We didn't necessarily work as a team. I was running messages while Tenten was overseeing academy students that were helping clear rubble. Neji was helping carry lumber and stone to where they needed to be. Then, later I was carrying materials for homes and Tenten was alongside me while Neji was elsewhere. It just went on and on and on, and I fell asleep at home that night, rising early the next day to take up patrol with my teammates in the forest. The second day I returned home with Ryu, who helped us with our duties if it wasn't patrol, to find a note from my parents.

_Maia and Ryu,_

_Are you alright? Such awful things have happened, and we haven't heard any word from either of you. I know that the shinobi are busy, what with all the repairs that have to be done right away, but every time we've come to visit, at any time a normal person would be taking a meal, you two are nowhere to be found. Could you both come visit us soon, to ease our worries?_

_Mom and Dad_

I read the note and sighed, running fingers through my messy hair. I'd barely had time to keep it brushed, but it managed to get snarled and everywhere by the end of the day.

"Ryu, want to go have dinner with Mom and Dad again?" He looked up at me and nodded. "Good, because they'll leave more demanding notes as days go by, and the longer it takes, the more worried they'll be, and the more annoying their sentiments will be." Ryu just laughed. We descended the stairs together, and made our way across town, where the hotel our parents were staying in was located. I knocked on the door loudly, and after a long moment, my mother opened the door.

"Maia!" She cried, throwing her arms around me. I took a step back to brace myself, my hands out to my sides to keep my balance.

"Hey, Mom." I said, waiting for the rush of words that she was going to babble, probably getting up to Gai-sensei's level of nonsensical words. And alas, she did, assaulting my poor ears with her words. She berated me for not visiting sooner, wept over not knowing where we had been, cheered that I was alive, cuddled Ryu – even though she didn't really know him, he seemed to kind of like it – for just being there, and glared at me, telling me that being a kunoichi was too dangerous and that she wanted me to stop. I matched her glare with cool eyes, feeling almost like Neji, to which I wasn't sure I should feel proud of or slightly scared.

"I will not stop being a kunoichi." I told her, in a tone that brooked no argument. Her hands were on her hips, and she tried to exert her motherly wrath – which all children feared – but I held firm against the tempest. It was harder still when my father joined her. Neither had supported my want to become a kunoichi.

"You should do as your mother says." My father told me, looking down at me. I hated when people towered over me, especially in an argument. I crossed my arms, fixing them with a hard look.

"And what do you suggest I do? Go into business? I doubt my mercantile skills would be useful, and I will _not_ spend my days stocking shelves. I can't become a teacher – the only thing I can teach is shinobi work. I won't become a doctor, not with all the medical nin around, rubbing in my face what I was forbidden to do by my parents. With my training, there is nothing I can do, feasibly, without training I should have gotten before now." I looked at my parents, waiting for a moment for a response. When there was none, I went on. "While you and the rest of the villagers were unconscious because of a genjutsu placed by the enemy, do you know what I was doing? I was fighting. Fighting for my life, for your lives, for his life," I pointed at Ryu. "for my teammates lives, and for the lives of every single one of these villagers here. I was sent on a special high-ranked mission to stop Gaara from gaining enough chakra to attack the village again. And, while on that mission, my teammates – not my usual ones, by the way – and I were tracked by nine high ranking ninja who would have killed us without hesitation. Do you know what I did?" I watched their reactions. My mother had flinched at the work "killed" and my fathers' face closed more and more as the story wore on.

"Do you think I faltered? That I thought, 'they're going to kill me, so I'd better go hide.'? No. My team and I assessed the situation, and we came up with only one plan that could save us. One of us was to be a decoy to distract the enemy from the trail of the others. Do you know what else we determined?" I paused again. "We determined that the chances were very high, much higher than the chance of the other three that the decoy would die saving the others. No one wants to face those odds. But I sent Sakura, Pakkun, and Naruto ahead of me while I stayed behind to probably die to save them, after I had explained so thoroughly to them the plan would probably kill the decoy. I killed two men, and incapacitated three others, before a jounin arrived to help me finish them off. If he had not shown up, I would have died. I was immensely lucky. Don't tell me that I'm a little girl who doesn't understand life, or that I need to come home and find a new way of life. I've already taken life. There is no going back from that."

My parents looked away from me. They probably didn't want to face that I was a killer now, even at such a young age – at such a low shinobi ranking. They'd thought I'd find it too hard and quit. Too bad that they were wrong; that I had to destroy their dreams of having a little girl to follow in their footsteps. I felt some remorse, but not enough to back down. It was a long, awkward silence that filled the room. Ryu moved next to me, and I gently placed my hand on his shoulder. After a minute, I sighed.

"You know we're alive. We'll be going now. The next couple of days – weeks, even! – are going to be very late, and we need to get our sleep." I told them, turning away, steering Ryu to do the same.

"No – wait." My mom spoke, softly. I stopped halfway in my turn, glancing back to look at her. "You might have all that training that teaches you to defend yourself and protect others, to –" she faltered for a moment, before continuing, "take the lives of another, but you're still my daughter." She sighed, looking up at me. I saw tears on her face. I did not succumb to the wish to comfort her. I had to remain impartial. This was just as hard as telling a mother their child or husband had died. "I've never understood the need to fight, to want to protect others. You always had the dream of being a kunoichi, and I'm proud of you for protecting everyone. If that is what you really want to do, then we can't stop you. You're a woman in your own right." Well, she was both right and wrong in that final statement. I was an emancipated minor, having become such when I moved out to live on my own in Konoha to continue my studies as a shinobi, which meant I was trusted to make good judgments. However, I was also only a thirteen year old girl, not a woman that was entitled to her own opinions – not completely, anyway. I decided not to mention any of that.

"I'm glad you understand." I told her, nodding slightly. "However, that does not change my duties. I would still love you, even if you refused to accept my want to be a kunoichi. I will train Ryu to be a shinobi, which you would have been unable to stop, if you had refused me. We are needed – as is every hand available – to help the village, so we must go. Thank you for taking the time to see us, Mother, Father." I replied. I noticed how she winced at my words. I pushed Ryu ahead of me, and we quietly exited.

"What would you like to eat, Ryu? My treat." I told him, tiredly. I couldn't believe they'd bring up such at foolish thing during a crisis like this. Even if I wanted to back out, I would have been forbidden by everyone. There was just too big of a need, especially since there were missions outside of Konoha that we still had to take to ensure we had enough revenue to pay for the repairs.

"Can we get ramen?" He asked. What was with these boys and ramen? I wondered, as I nodded. We'd probably see Naruto there, and he'd chatter my ear off while devouring unhealthy amounts of ramen. It wasn't that long of a walk, and soon we were seated at the Ichiryu Ramen Stand, but there was no Naruto in sight. Huh. He must have gotten lucky enough to get a mission that didn't include back breaking labor for the village. Not that I begrudged the need, not at all. It just got very tedious after awhile. We ate quickly, as the sun was barely giving off any rays, and headed home at a fast pace. They had instated a curfew on the village for sundown, for precautionary measures. Unless you had patrol or other important need, you were to be indoors at that time. I saw a few others hurrying to their homes. I scooped Ryu up in my arms and leapt to the rooftops, crossing across the village much faster than searching through the maze of alleys. We landed at the base of the apartment as the sun was fully past the horizon, and the light diminished to that of the stars. We rushed up the stairs and into our apartment. I almost didn't notice the note on my door. I snatched it and closed the door, locking it behind us.

_Maia,_

_We have a mission that starts tomorrow. We are escorting a few high-ranking business members as they head to a convention near the border. While under normal circumstances this would be ranked as a C mission, this is being classified as a B-rank mission until we are sure the threat is completely gone. Be prepared – we leave at noon from the gates, which, as I know you know, means arrive there by eleven. Pack well, for we shouldn't be home for a few weeks. Their goods will take time to carry, and we're heading to the border. Besides that, the convention will last quite a few days._

_Tenten_

"Augh!" I crumpled the note and threw it at the wall. "They know better than to give me a note last minute!" Ryu glanced over at my shoulder, and I flapped a hand at him. "Nothing. I have a mission tomorrow and I need to pack. Go ahead and get ready for bed in the bathroom – I'll be out of there soon." He nodded, and I went to my room, where I grabbed my clothes. I grabbed three gray-green tank tops and three black pairs of shorts, along with my black ninja sandals. Along with these I grabbed some underclothes. I folded these up quickly, making them as small as I could. Upon reflection, I grabbed another set of each, quickly making them into an easy to move bundle, and then exited, setting these on the living room table as I went to the pack at the base of my desk. Now this is where I was frustrated. I hadn't had time to make _any_ poisons. All I had left was very little, and I didn't even have a full set of poisoned weapons on hand. I sighed and got to work on what I'd need immediately, after glancing at the clock. It was only seven thirty. Okay, I should be able to get this done and have time to spare, I nodded.

How wrong I was. It had taken an hour to create and spread the paralysis poison, before moving on to the antidote, taking another thirty-five minutes. The same occurred for the sleeping poison. I took utmost care in creating my deadly poison, since it was late, taking a full hour just to create it, and then I spread it carefully onto five kunai, taking fifteen minutes. The antidote took forty minutes, and then the healing potions another hour. Finally, when all was said and done, I had twelve paralysis kunai, ten sleeping kunai, and five deadly. I added thirteen clean kunai to the mess and slid them into the holster. After that, three handfuls of shuriken went in and I closed it. I went to the pack and carefully slid my vials into their correct places, placing bandages between them in case of and to prevent leaking, spills, or breakages. I closed the vials section and grabbed the little pouches out of their box and hurriedly filled them with herbs, checking quickly to make sure I didn't mix them, before tossing them deftly into their place. My now clean bowl, a small hammer, and some extra vials were set into their places, the clothes on top of them, pressing gently to make sure it was all properly stored and secure, and then I gratefully went to the couch to curl up and get some rest. It was two in the morning.

The next day, I finished my packing at around nine, having only got seven hours of sleep. Well, it could be worse. I packed energy bars into any crevice of the bag I could find. I filled my second holster with an emergency kit. This was made purely for the worst case scenario that included us ditching everything we had but the clothes on our backs and our wards. It held a roll of bandages, a vial of each poison and its antidote, two healing potions, a small packet of soldier pills, wire, eight kunai, five shuriken, a smoke bomb, and two energy bars. It was a very tight fit, but everything was placed in its proper place, and it held enough items that I could survive in the wilderness without dying – and I could probably support another person, such as one of our wards, without trouble too. It was ten when I finished my bag, and I quickly got dressed. I pulled on my usual gray-green tank tops and black shorts with my red belt and the long fingerless black gloves before brushing my hair quickly and tucking that into my pack. I tied my hitai-ate to my forehead and pulled on my sandals. I quickly threw together a pack for Ryu – enough clothes for him to stay at Tenten's house comfortably. Five outfits – she could do some laundry for him hopefully, or bring him by for more – a spare key, and a letter with some money in it if she needed to spend some on Ryu.

I dropped Ryu and his pack off at Tenten's house, where I met up with said girl to travel to the gates. I grumbled at how late I got to bed because of her note, to which she laughed softly and apologized.

"Sorry, Maia. I'd forgotten you had used up most of your special kunai. I suppose I figured you'd have extra poison hidden away somewhere. I guess not, hmm?" She said, to which I made a face.

"I'll have to take a day after this mission to restock everything. I barely had enough to bring extra herbs on this mission, just in case." I sighed gustily. "I also have to find a new apartment so that I can have a bed again." Tenten grinned.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll survive. It could be worse." She told me, teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure it could. However, it isn't, so I'm going to complain until it is. And then, when it is worse, I'll wish for this minor annoyance with the same gusto that I have now." I nodded, sticking my tongue out at Tenten. She laughed as we came into view of Neji, the only other teammate we had – excluding our sensei, of course – that would be going with us. I glanced up at the sun. It was approximately eleven, probably a little later. Gai-sensei wasn't here though, so it was alright. There were, however, four wagons there near Neji. "Don't tell me we're guarding those death traps." I whispered covertly to Tenten as we walked up. She nodded lightly, and I could tell she wasn't exactly happy about that either. I sighed. "It just got worse." She grinned.

"Is this all of them?" Tenten asked Neji as we came up to him. He shook his head.

"There's a fifth. We're escorting five men and their wives, and they all insist on travelling in these wagons with enough food and goods to supply an army." He replied, a slight grimace on his lips. They'd even gotten some emotion out of the stoic Neji. They must've said something, I decided. As if my thought conjured them, two men appeared from between the caravans.

"It is an outrage, I say!" The first was complaining. "Giving us genin to protect us, especially when the land is under alert! My goods are important, and we shouldn't be slighted because the ANBU captain – who isn't even the Hokage! – says there aren't people to spare." They came before us. Neji stood, his arms crossed over his chest. I stood to his left, one hand on my hip, the other hanging to my side. Tenten also had her arms crossed. The second one nodded in agreement with the first.

"We demand different shinobi to escort us. Please go tell your ANBU captain that we will not accept less than what we are due." The second told us. I glanced over at Neji, who glared at the two. Obviously they'd discussed this before. So, I took a slight step forward, and smiled as sweetly and innocently as I could muster.

"I'm very sorry, sirs, that you feel we are slighting you by our presence. However, the facts are, there isn't anyone else that can help you that is of a higher level than genin. The chuunin are helping to oversee the academy students while the jounin and ANBU are on constant alert and patrolling the forest around Konoha. You aren't insinuating that you're more important than the good of the Land of Fire as a whole, now are you?"

The two men looked slightly confused for a moment. Apparently they hadn't expected a nice, reasonable tone from such a young shinobi. I looked up at them with my eyes, which, unlike my voice, were hard and unmoving. The first one turned red in the face after realizing what I had told him.

"Now you listen here young lady, I am-"

"No, you listen here, sir." I told him more firmly. "As I stated before, it is us or no one. Our sensei will be here soon, and he'll tell you the same thing. There is no other shinobi, excluding other genin of course, that are available. We are one of the most skilled genin teams in Konoha. You'll be safe in our care." I fixed him with a stare. It was at that moment that Gai-sensei made his appearance in a plume of smoke.

"Don't worry my youthful students; your amazingly awesome sensei is here now!" I sighed. Tenten rolled her eyes. The men turned to face him, almost double-taking at his appearance.

"Sir, I demand that we be given a team of jounin to escort us. Your students have been most vehement in denying us, but we most certainly cannot trust our lives and materials to that of mere genin, especially after the last attack." The first one, the one I'd come to dislike the most of the two, said before Gai-sensei had time to take another breath.

"My students are the best there is! Besides, there are no jounin team available to escort people such as yourself, other than those who lead the genin that take missions such as these. My wonderful students understand the risks and can defend you and whatever else you may have admirably. Why, my Maia here helped stave off an attack force of nine jounin from a team of genin that were helping end the attack." He pointed at me, and I blushed slightly.

"Asuma helped me." I pointed out.

"After you had engaged them and taken out five, my wonderful student. He told me it was because of my awesome training."

"He _told_ you?" I grumbled. I'd told him not to say anything. Gai-sensei just grinned in reply. The two men watched us speak, a slight look of awe on their faces. I rolled my eyes at the look and glanced away towards the sun.

"So you see: you'll be just fine in our capable, youthful hands." Gai-sensei told them.

"Where's the other person we're supposed to be escorting?" Tenten asked, glancing around.

"Yes. It's getting late. We have to get going." Neji said, also looking to the sun. It was nearing noon, the time we had appointed to leave at. Gai-sensei looked around, unsure himself. While we waited for our third client to appear, he handed out our radios.

"We're on wave five this time." He told us, and we adjusted them accordingly. I stuck the earpiece into my right ear and then clipped the microphone at the base of my throat, to the right slightly.

As it neared twelve fifteen, the next client had still yet to arrive. I looked around impatiently.

"Shouldn't we leave?" Tenten asked.

"Without the other client? We couldn't do that!" Gai-sensei exclaimed.

"Why not do what we did on the last mission? Send people ahead with the first group and then have the second group catch up." I offered. "We can leave someone behind to look for and wait for the last client and then escort him to us when he's found." I offered, longing for anything to change the boredom of standing at the gates for the latecomer. Gai-sensei nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan. Who will stay behind to guard the client? I have to stay with the main group – Neji, I'd like you to be with the main group as well, to watch with your Byakugan."Gai-sensei stated. After a moment of thought, Neji nodded in agreement. I looked over at Tenten.

"What do you want to do, Tenten?" I asked her. "I don't mind doing either, so you can pick your preference." She tapped her chin in thought before deciding after a long moment.

"I'm sure both of us could guard the client just fine. I'll go with Gai-sensei and Neji, if you don't mind." I shrugged.

"I told you, whichever is fine. Alright, I'll catch up with you guys as soon as we can. I'll be in touch." I tapped my ear where the radio was, and they nodded. "Be safe."

"Alright!" Gai-sensei yelled, calling the attention of our other clients to us. "We are going to move ahead without the fifth client. Maia will wait for them and bring them to us as soon as they arrive." He told them before they could protest. I didn't look at them – instead, my eyes were for the path that led further into the village. The jounin guarding the gate handed passports to each of us – I took mine, though I wasn't leaving just yet – and soon they were spots on the horizon, and still there was no sign. I rolled my eyes and turned to the jounin.

"If a trader comes to leave the village, could you please hold him here? I'll be back soon, I'm just going to check the roads to see if they're stuck somewhere." He nodded, staring out at the road. "Thank you." I headed out over the rooftops, scanning for the person I was supposed to be escorting. It turned out that he and his wife had gotten stuck in traffic after leaving late – thinking that they were to meet us at twelve thirty instead of twelve on the dot. I aided them in reaching the gate and informed the guard that we would be leaving. As we walked away from Konoha, the man and his wife on the front seats, driving two mules, I checked in with my teammates. They were almost a whole hour ahead of us. After a short chat with the two on the cart, I climbed up onto the top of the contraption and set up a look out, watching for potential enemies, while they sped up the pace so that we would catch up by night fall.

As they were finishing creating camp we drove up. The two, Mr. and Mrs. Akita, hobbled their mules near a good piece of grass so they could graze as I dropped off the roof. I greeted my teammates warmly and took a duty – gathering water. The fire was already made – we were going to make a stew for everyone while there was still light. I went in the direction Neji pointed and soon found a small stream, from which I quickly drew water from. I returned to the camp, where Tenten and I created the stew. Neji and Gai-sensei went about ensuring that the businessmen and their wives were comfortable – comfortable enough as anyone could be in the wilderness, anyway – and to tell them dinner would be ready soon. After that, we set up a watch schedule and went to sleep.

The whole way there – which was a full week – we did this same procedure, with only a few inconsistencies, those being who did what job for the most part. There weren't any attacks, for all the paranoia that first day. We arrived on time for their meeting and the trading of their goods. My team and I stood around and appeared conspicuous, the pure opposite of what shinobi usually would do. The worst that happened at the convention was a pickpocket, whom Neji caught as he tried to flee. The whole thing lasted six days, so we'd be home in about a week, finally. The way things were going, it would be almost another week before we were home. And, on the way back, we hit a turn of bad weather, causing the track to be muddy and difficult to travel. To make matters even worse, one of the wheels decided it would be just perfect to break in the middle of one of these muddy roads, in the rain. With instructions from the driver and Gai-sensei, we managed to fix the wheel.

By the time we arrived back home in Konoha, twenty three days had passed, no thanks to the weather may I add. And, we returned home to a pleasant surprise. We had a new Hokage, Tsunade, and she was a medical ninja; one of the best in the world, in fact.


	12. Reconnaissance Begins

So, yeah. I totally don't own Naruto. Nothing new on my end; Please review!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve – **_Reconnaissance Begins_

It has been four days since we returned from our escort mission. In this time, quite a bit of important events have occurred. Sasuke and Kakashi, who had been hurt very badly from a mission, had been revived – not really that important, but some people do care about those two so I figured I may as well state that. What really was important to me and the rest of my team was this – Tsunade had found a surgery, and improved it, that could help Lee become a shinobi again, and had a 58% chance of success. Now, 58% aren't the best of odds, but compared to the 50% it had been before, things were looking good. Lee had decided to accept the surgery after consulting with Gai-sensei. Neji, Tenten, and I all supported him in whatever he chose to do, which had been to accept. We wished him, and Tsunade, luck in his surgery. It would be performed the day after next, with which we all waited for in earnest. Neji, Tenten, and I spent these days training out our impatience for the outcome of the surgery. Neji pretended indifference, but we'd been together as a team for over two years now – he felt a bond to us as we did to him.

During his surgery, I went shopping. Now, when most girls say "I went shopping" they mean for clothes, jewelry, and some other frivolous nonsense. However, I am not "most girls". No, I went shopping for herbs to make poisons with. I restocked my supplies, getting plenty to make enough poisons to last a few months. Along with these, I got some more shuriken, kunai, vials, and bandages. Then, I spent the rest of the time making extra poisons and antidotes. I checked the two pouches I carried with me everywhere since the attack during the third chuunin exam. The first held my poisoned kunais, and after counting twelve paralysis poisons, ten sleeping poisons, and five deadly poisons, along with a handful of clean kunai. After a second thought, I added three more paralysis kunai, making my grand total of kunai equal forty. I tucked in a handful or so of shuriken and a smoke bomb. Then, the second pouch – my emergency kit – was checked. I replaced the roll of bandages with a new, larger roll. Then, I added a vial of each poison and its antidote, along with three healing vials. I checked the small pack of soldier pills – full – before coiling the wire back up out of the knot it had managed to make itself into. Finally, I put two energy bars, another smoke bomb, and five kunai and six shuriken, carefully fastening it shut so that nothing would fall out. It was evening and since no one had told me what had happened to Lee, I was left in the dark until morning.

His surgery was successful. We couldn't visit him the first day, so that he could rest. The second was designated to rest too – but after that, Lee refused to be bedridden. I'd heard that even when he was injured before the surgery, he'd work out – doing pushups, sit ups – anything to stay in shape. Lee was given a crutch to support his bad leg and was out and about with us during the third day. We took a day off from training to spend it with him, so that he wouldn't feel left out. The fourth day I arrived early to visit Lee, only to find Neji was there too. He was following Lee out of his room as I arrived. We let him lead, walking together in companionable silence.

"Have they told you you're fit to be released yet?" Neji asked, breaking the silence as we looked out over the village.

"I was told I can resume my training soon. I have to take it easy, of course."

"I see." Neji looked like he was going to say more, but his eyes moved to the base of the stairs we'd walked up. At the base were four guys. Shikamaru, Naruto, some guy I'd learned was named Kiba, and Chouji, one of Shikamaru's teammates. They looked like they wanted to speak to us. Neji lifted Lee up and helped him quickly down the stairs, and I followed right behind him.

"What's up, guys?" I asked as we came into earshot, I stood half a pace behind Neji and Lee still, watching the four with mild curiosity.

"Sasuke's going to Orochimaru. We're going to stop 're looking for all the help we can get, so if you're up to it, we'd like you to join us." Shikamaru said briefly.

"You've gotta help!" Naruto insisted loudly.

"I understand." Neji said, agreeing to the chase. I nodded.

"I'm coming too." I said, looking at the four of them before us.

"Yeah, it's kind of a drag, but I figured the more guys we had the better, so…" He let his sentence end there. I nodded in understanding. I saw Lee wilt slightly, looking down in disappointment. Neji noticed too, as he looked over at him. I laid a hand on Lee's shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Lee. It's up to you. You do what you must do." Neji told him.

"We've got your back, Lee." I added. He looked at Neji, and then at me in surprise, before turning fully and walking back the way we came. Neji and I both turned to watch him.

"Tomorrow, I think I will try climbing these steps by myself." He proclaimed, stopping a few feet from the stairs.

"Lee…" Neji and I both said at the same time. He shared Gai-sensei's need to challenge himself ridiculously.

"Don't worry. I'll be alright. Go on without me." I smiled at him lightly.

"Good luck, Lee." I called to him, turning, and we left him there, watching our backs as we moved briskly towards the gates. We arrived at the gates, and as we waited for them to open, prepared ourselves. Kiba knelt down to mess with his dog. I checked my pouch with poisons with a studious eye – I had everything I'd need. Good. The gates opened slowly with a loud creak.

"It's time to go." Shikamaru announced to us all, leaning forward to look ahead. I looked at him, ready to follow his orders, though he wasn't one I was used to looking to for instructions.

"Alright!" Naruto screamed. "Let's get going everyone, follow me!" I stared at his back.

"Uh, Naruto. I'm kinda supposed to be the platoon leader here." Shikamaru said blandly. Well, he was the ranking shinobi here. "I know it's a drag, but..." Naruto looked back at him with an annoyed glare.

"You really think you're the best person to direct this operation? You don't seem very reliable to me."

"What's up with you acting like you're in charge all of a sudden Naruto? I mean, taking orders from somebody as lazy as Shikamaru doesn't exactly thrill me either, but still." Kiba told him, rising from his crouch, holding his dog, who barked in agreement.

"But none of you get to decide who the leader here is. Because Shikamaru is the only one of us who's a chuunin. That means the Elders of the village clearly believe he's got what it takes to call the shots on this one." Chouji added.

"If that's the case, then perhaps you should start coming up with some sort of plan. From what I heard, Sasuke's gone to the enemy, and there's a real chance they could ambush us." Neji stated in his bored tone, but I could tell he was getting antsy.

"If we'd all shut up for a moment, maybe Shikamaru could get a word in." I said crossly, looking at Shikamaru.

"Well, for starters, this is a rescue operation, so we'll be in the position of pursuit. This means, the enemy already has an important advantage over us. That said I'm arranging us in a deployment formation that can respond to any assault by the enemy. If any of you don't follow my exact orders, we're all gonna die." We moved into a semi circle before him, looking at him. Kiba gasped and winced, as if the thought of dying on the mission hadn't occurred to him. Neji smirked a bit, and I was just glad to be getting on with it. Death was something we courted every day. Oh well.

"Okay, we'll go with a single file strike formation. As we all know, the most important position is the spearhead. So that's gonna be Kiba. With all the walks you and Akamaru go on, you're the most familiar with the Land of Fire's terrain, and with that sensitive nose of yours, you'll be able to track Sasuke's scent, while sniffing out any booby traps the enemy may have set. Moreover, because we'll have two sets of eyes in the front, you and Akamaru-" So that was the dogs' name. "Will be more effective in protecting our single file line from an attack." Shikamaru took a breath before continuing.

"Second in line will be yours truly, the platoon leader. From that position, I will be able to direct everyone behind me with silent hand signals. And because I'm so close to Kiba, I'll be able to react to any situation. The third will be Naruto. The middle of the line is perfect for you, because you're the most capable of executing quick moves either in front of you or behind you. You're one of the cornerstones, and you have the shadow clone jutsu. Fourth in line will be Maia. You have quick reflexes and you use deadly poisons, which will be better placed in the center of the formation, as you will be able to get a clear shot at any enemy from this position. You are the other cornerstone." He looked to his friend next.

"Next in line is Chouji. Chouji, you might not have any speed, but your striking power is the greatest of the platoon members. Kiba, myself, Naruto, and Maia will launch a surprise attack, and then you'll swoop in and finish them off. You're the second wave of our assault. Finally, on the end will be you, Neji. Your position is most difficult: rear lookout. I want you to use your Byakugan to scan ahead for weakness in our ranks. Got it?" We all nodded, and he knelt down. "Take a look at this then." He drew a diagram, and it showed all of us and what we were supposed to watch for.

"Kiba watches the front. I'm responsible for a wider forward view. Naruto, you have the left, Chouji, the right. Maia, I want you to look out on both sides as equally as you can manage. Neji, using your Byakugan, you cover the entire area to the rear. Now, I need to familiarize myself with our weaponry. I need to check out all the ninja tools each of you plan on carrying into battle. That way, I'll know what we have. Any questions?" We shook our heads in refusal. "Since no one has anything else to add, I saved the most important thing for last. For as long as I've known him, Sasuke and I haven't been close buddies. In fact, I don't really like him at all. All the same, Sasuke is a ninja belonging to the hidden leaf village. He's a comrade, and I'll put my life on the line to help him. That's the way of our village. I know I usually seem like a pretty lazy guy, but not today. Because now I'm responsible for your lives too."

"Wow, I never thought I'd see Shikamaru acting like a chuunin. Very impressive." Kiba acknowledged.

"Okay, as soon as we check our gear, we'll go. Show me your weapons." Neji ordered. We all tugged out our kunai holsters - well, I tugged off two. Everyone had the standard kunais, shuriken, explosive tags, yaddy yaddy yaddah. Mine was at least a little more colorful.

"Hey, what's this?" Naruto tried to grab one of my kunais - and one with the green indicator no less. I yanked my hand back and spun, placing my body between him and the weapon.

"That is _not_ a toy, Naruto. If you cut yourself with that, you _will_ die." I told him coolly.

"I wasn't planning on gutting myself. Obviously it's a knife so it can kill me." Naruto said in a whiny voice. "I just wanted to know why it had some string on it."

"Take a good look, all of you. Do not touch, Naruto." I hooked the second holster - the emergency kit - on my shorts. "This one," I pointed at the kunai with a deep blue linen piece attached to it. "Is paralysis poison. It will last for approximately an hour if it gets into the blood stream. This means it has to cut you - the same with the rest of my poisons. This one," now I pointed at the yellow one. "Puts a person to sleep, for approximately an hour as well. I don't care if you mess with those or stab yourselves with them, because they won't kill you. I do, however, forbid you to touch the kunai marked with green wool unless I give you permission. Those kunai will kill you if the poison gets into your blood stream. Two sound jounin learned that the hard way." I let that note sit with them for a moment, before placing it on my hip and retrieving the second pouch.

"In this I have extra poison, in case I need to use it. I also have antidotes - so if you're lucky, I might be able to save you if you do manage to knick yourself with the poisoned one - but don't hold your breath. I have no hypodermics on me, so you'll probably still die. I also have mild healing potions, marked with a light green tie. If you are hurt, I will give you some of these to help you out." Neji had glanced over my things with an appraising eye, knowing what to look for, and had nodded in acceptance. I put the things back on my waist. I grinned at Kiba and Naruto's shocked expressions. "We deal in death, don't we? I just take it up a notch." After everyone had been looked over, Shikamaru took the lead for a moment.

"Let's move out."

"Wait!" A familiar feminine voice cried out. We turned to spy Sakura, fists clenched, looking depressed.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, concerned. Well, she was his teammate.

"Lady Hokage told me everything." Shikamaru told her. "Sorry, Sakura, I can't take you on this mission. I know you tried, but even you couldn't convince Sasuke, could you?" She'd tried to stop Sasuke? Poor girl, no wonder she looked so sad. I'd heard that everyone, including her, had fallen "in love" with the guy. I just rolled my eyes at them. "Now our only option is for me to find him and force him to come back to the village. I'm sorry, but there's nothing else you can do for him." Shikamaru told her, and she bowed her head.

"But that means... Did Sasuke turn his back on you Sakura?" Naruto asked, anxious. Sakura bit her lip, her breath catching, but she couldn't hold her tears of sorrow for her teammate back.

"Naruto. This is a once in a lifetime request. Just bring him home. Please bring Sasuke back to me. I did everything I could. I tried, but I couldn't stop him from leaving the village. At this point, there's only one person that can stop him, only one person who can save him. Naruto, it's all up to you."

"Well gosh Sakura, you must really care for Sasuke, huh? I get it. I can see that deep down this must be really painful for you. I know you must be suffering." He smiled reassuringly at Sakura, before bursting into a grin at her next comment.

"Naruto, thank you so much."

"Don't you worry one bit, I'm gonna bring Sasuke back. I promise that on my life, Sakura."

"Whoa, hold on Naruto." Kiba butted in. "That's quite a statement. Are you sure you should be promising her that we'll get him?"

"Sure. When I give my word, you can count on it. That's my ninja way. Well, come on, what're we waiting for? Let's get going!"

"Alright then, this interruption cost us some time. Let's get going." Shikamaru said. We turned from her, and Lee - who I'd just noticed as we looked away - to walk down the path towards where we expected to find Sasuke. We took to the trees not too long after we got out of sight of Konoha. Kiba took lead, as he was directed. Shikamaru was behind him, followed then by Naruto, myself, Chouji, and finally Neji at the rear. We stayed silent for the first few minutes, contemplating exactly what we were going to do from here on out. Obviously we would follow Shikamaru's orders, but what we would do in regards to fighting, what the enemy would be like, and how we would cope. Then Akamaru growled.

"Akamaru?" Kiba asked.

"What's the matter with him?" Shikamaru demanded.

"He smells blood. It's somewhere nearby." Kiba replied grimly. We continued forward, with nowhere else to go but in that direction. "Here's what happened. The scent of two newcomers converged on the scent of Sasuke and four others. The two have stayed behind, while Sasuke's group moved on. So what now?" Kiba relayed.

"Just as I thought." Mused Shikamaru. His voice carried back to us softly. "Sasuke's got an escort."

"There's no question, we've gotta go after Sasuke." Naruto cried eagerly.

"Who died and made you boss? Last time I checked, Shikamaru was in charge of running this show. It's up to him to decide." Kiba reprimanded him.

"Well, Shikamaru?" Chouji offered.

"Since Akamaru smelled blood, my guess is that there was a battle between Sasuke's group and the two newcomers. If we go to the spot where they fought, we might be able to gather some useful information. Of course, we can't rush in. It might be a trap. So, when we get closer, we'll go into full reconnaissance mode and take is slowly." Shikamaru decided.

"And while we're doing that, Sasuke will have cross beyond the borders of the land of fire and out of our hands." Neji told us.

"That would make this whole mission useless then." I added.

"Okay Shikamaru, what's it gonna be?" Naruto demanded. There was a long pause as he weighed our options. Finally, Shikamaru spoke.

"We follow Sasuke."

"Way to go, I knew you'd make the right choice!" Naruto said happily.

"One thing." Shikamaru added.

"What?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"These guys have already been in one fight, so they'll be on their guard. Unless they're complete idiots, they'll have to know there will be more ninja on their trail. There's a good chance we'll hit some booby traps or even an ambush ahead. So, from this point on, we'll proceed with caution. I want everybody, not just Akamaru, to put all your senses on full alert. If you catch a trace of anything suspicious, sound the alarm. We want to find these guys, before they find us." Shikamaru ordered.

"Hah!" Naruto cried. "Got it! And when we do find 'em, I'm gonna clobber them with this new jutsu of mine!" He exclaimed happily. Akamaru whined softly, so softly I barely heard him.

"The enemy's scent is here, all around us!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Everyone stop!" Shikamaru ordered, and we all landed on a large branch in our formation. I was squished between Naruto and Chouji, but I wasn't about to start complaining at this point. "Look up on that tree; see that?" Shikamaru said in a softer voice, looking upwards. We all followed his gaze.

"A paper bomb." Neji said to my left. "I'm sure there are five more of them." He paused, thinking. "A perimeter barrier, that's what it is."

"A perimeter barrier?" Chouji asked.

"It's a type of trap ninjutsu." Shikamaru explained. "There's a delay after the perimeter is breached, giving the victim just enough time to get to the center of the area for the full effect." I winced slightly. "It's a tricky jutsu. I learned about it in one of the books my dad used to make me read."

"Ugh. Now we have to waste time going around it. Great." Kiba complained. Soon it wasn't the only thing he had to complain about. We found other booby traps to pass through as well.

"Man, this whole forest is crawling with booby traps." Kiba said the complainer again.

"Yeah, but luckily they're easy to spot. These guys are moving fast and getting sloppy." Shikamaru replied. We all kept a look out for any trap that might affect us that we missed, and lucky for us that we did.

"Naruto, do me a favor and watch where you're going. I don't want you blowing us all up." Kiba teased lightly. "There are trip wires everywhere."

"Tell me something I don't know." Naruto said in annoyance.

"Naruto, hold it!" Shikamaru cried, and Naruto froze in mid-step, his foot literally two inches from the ground. Shikamaru was balanced in the same pose as Naruto, clinging to Chouji's scarf to keep him upright. "Just in time. Got him with my shadow possession jutsu."

"Didn't I tell you to watch your step, you moron?" Kiba yelled.

"Be quiet." I said, in a much softer tone. "Do you _want_ them to know how close behind them we are?" After Shikamaru had saved Naruto from killing us all, we examined the trap he'd nearly set off.

"I get it." Shikamaru said. "One wire catches the light and is easy to see; the other is camouflaged. While you're busy avoiding the first, you trip the second."

"They've created a trap within a trap. They're clever, whoever they are." Neji said.

"All their other traps were quick and dirty, as if they were moving fast, but not this one." Shikamaru agreed.

"They may have stopped to rest. Perhaps one of them is injured. Or is this part of the trap?" He made a hand seal and invoked his Byakugan. "I see them!" I looked to him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Well let's go! I'm dying to show these clowns what I got!" Naruto cried exuberantly.

"Is that right? Hate to disappoint you hotshot, but I've got a new jutsu I've been working on too." Kiba told him in a condescending tone.

"Yeah, me too." Chouji added.

"Shut up or I'll stab you with one of the poisoned kunais." I said irately.

"Alright, calm down. First we make a plan and get everything ready. Then, we go in and take them out." Shikamaru told us, taking his lead position again. He explained our plan, drawing lightly in the dirt.

"That's it." He said after a moment. "Kiba, the timing on those smoke bombs is absolutely crucial. Got it?"

"I got it." Kiba agreed.

"So, split up. Let's go." Shikamaru told us, and we did just as he ordered. Naruto and Kiba went one way, Shikamaru and Neji another. Chouji and I went a third. We got close enough to see them and then waited for the signal. As we observed, suddenly one of the ninja moved from his supposed "nap". He threw a kunai at a bush, from which Neji and Shikamaru leapt from as an explosion followed them. How did they know where they were? The two cried out and landed on the dirt towards the enemy. They rolled up onto their knees to look at their assailants.

"Well, well, I thought I was flushing a snake out of the bushes, but all I got was a couple of mice." The one who'd thrown the exploding tags said in a superior tone. The biggest one crouched in a position for attack.

"Wait a minute!" Shikamaru said standing and raising his hands up. "We're here to negotiate, not to fight. Can't we talk this over like reasonable people?" He asked, almost in a plaintive tone.

"Heh." One spoke, and he was weird looking alright. He had six arms. Creepy. "Let's not forget your friends, shall we?" He demanded, pulling the rest of us out of hiding with strings. At least I was lucky enough to be tugged along by my arm. Kiba and Naruto were yanked along by their legs. As he flew, Kiba threw down the smoke bombs and we disappeared in the haze. "What good is that gonna do? Throw all the smoke bombs you want, I still got you. These threads are so fine they're almost invisible, but they're stronger than they look. And you've already encountered them in the forest." The smoke cleared. I was crouching next to Chouji, who was sitting before Shikamaru. Naruto was also sitting, in the middle of Shikamaru and Neji, and then Kiba knelt before Neji, glaring at the man.

"Darn it." Naruto grumbled.

"So that double trap of trip wires you set was actually a triple trap. Heh. That was clever. So I guess that makes you the smart one of the group." Shikamaru said as the rest of us waited in silence.

"You're about to be the dead one." The six-armed guy came back. Oh, so clever. I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from saying so. Then a look of surprise crossed his face. "My body... I can't move! What's happening?" He exclaimed in confusion.

"Man that was perfect!" Naruto cried. I wanted to hide my face in my palm. Why couldn't we just gag him? "Kiba distracted him and you nailed him with your shadow possession jutsu!"

"Yeah, that's right. You're not the only ones who can spring a trap. Thanks for making me look good in front of the squad. Appreciate it." Shikamaru said scornfully.

"Very impressive." The one who'd thrown the kunai said. "I'd be even more impressed if I hadn't mastered that technique as well." Shikamaru turned to look behind him before wincing. The shadow possession dissipated.

"What was that?"

"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison!" The large one cried, pressing his hands to the ground. The earth lifted around us, sealing us from the rest of the world.


	13. Leaving Chouji

Alright folks, so I'm feeling generous this week. I'm gonna post two chapters :D So, yeah. Happy times. I don't own Naruto nor do I make money from this fanfic. [Though that would be totally awesome.]

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – **_Leaving Chouji_

It was dark within the barrier.

"Terrific." Shikamaru grumbled.

"What is this?" Neji demanded, glancing around. I rose from my crouch, moving to a wall to touch it curiously; half-hoping it was an illusion. I turned to look back at the team, my hand still placed on the wall lightly.

"It's a barrier of some kind." Well duh. He did say when performing the jutsu the word "barrier". "And we're stuck in it." How in the world was this guy supposedly so smart? I could have deduced that just as easily. Shoot, _Naruto_ could have told us that. I looked over the team as they spoke. Naruto and Shikamaru looked up towards where the sky would be if it wasn't blocked off by a wall of earth. Kiba crouched at the wall, both hands against it. Neji was looking towards him, and Chouji was looking in the opposite way of both of them.

"Now what?" Kiba muttered.

"Hey, you out there!" Naruto yelled. "Let us out!" He slammed a fist against the wall. Oh yeah, like that was going to do anything. I rolled my eyes and sighed, looking back to the wall.

"Yeah, like that's gonna help." I grinned at Kiba, though he didn't see it.

"It seems to be nothing more than a dirt wall." Neji said, stepping up next to Kiba to run his hand along it.

"It's some kind of jutsu. We should watch our step - it could be another trap within a trap." Shikamaru warned.

"Pft. A wall's a wall, and there's no wall I can't punch a hole through." Kiba declared, standing up. Shikamaru looked over at him.

"Yeah, it's worth a try I guess. After all, we do have to do something, despite the risk." Kiba made a hand seal, and he grew claws and crouched down on the ground, a feral look on his face.

"Tunneling Fang!" He yelled, launching himself at the wall, spinning as if he were a drill. Dust was stirred from the blow, and I turned my head away, shielding my eyes. When the dust settled, Kiba was attached to a slight crater in the wall, but it wasn't a hole. He dropped down to look at it in confusion - and then the hole healed itself, becoming a solid wall again.

"What in the world?" I asked softly, in awe.

"Hey, did you just-?" Kiba started, turning to us, pointing.

"Yes, we saw it." Neji cut him off coolly.

"LET US OUT!" Naruto screamed.

"Shut up, Naruto." I growled, glaring at him. "Screaming isn't going to do anything but waste time."

"It appears to be more than just a dirt wall." Neji stated to no one in particular. "Byakugan!" I watched him, looking for a reaction to what he'd see. His eyes widened minutely, an action I barely noticed, but I did see the slight grimace. "Th-the wall is-" He paused, staring at the dirt between us and fresh air.

"It's what? The wall is what?" Demanded Shikamaru.

"Neji, what's wrong?" I asked at almost the same time, stepping towards my teammate and resting a hand on his shoulder. "What do you see?" Neji raised his hands and looked at them, seeing something that only he with his Byakugan could see.

"Our chakra, it's absorbing it as if it were a sponge." His hands shook lightly as he spoke. The others gasped. I looked towards the others.

"Great. It's not enough to bury us alive in this oversized dung heap, now they're trying to steal our chakra. You gotta give these guys points for thoroughness at least." I didn't point out that they weren't 'trying' to steal our chakra they _were_ stealing our chakra. But that was beside the point.

"What're we gonna do?" I asked, looking towards Shikamaru.

"No way. No way they can do this to us! Whoever you are, let us out of here right now!" Naruto was yelling again. I sighed. Obviously he just didn't know how to shut up. I really had to resist the temptation to gag him.

It wasn't long before we were having a hard time staying upright. Kiba was crouched next to Akamaru, breathing heavily. Naruto was sitting next to him, leaning against the wall. I'm glad to say I wasn't the first to have to sit - that was Kiba, though in fairness, if he hadn't used a jutsu he wouldn't have been first. Neji was kneeling as well, having dropped down after Naruto had. Shikamaru had just now fallen down to his backside, panting softly. I was sitting next to Neji, where I'd been standing just a few minutes ago. The two of us were leaning against each other supportively and companionably – and out of the fatigue that chakra loss always brought upon the body. His arm was around my shoulders, supporting me as I slowly gulped in air softly, resting my cheek against his side.

"I feel like... all my energy... is draining out of me..." Naruto muttered. I couldn't even muster up the strength to feel slightly relieved that he couldn't yell anymore. Neji used the Byakugan, looking at Naruto quickly.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I murmured, though it's not like I could have raised my voice much louder without expending energy I couldn't waste at the moment. I didn't have a huge chakra reserve, which was why I'd always pass out after a few minutes of my genjutsu.

"Something must be done, Shikamaru, and quickly." Neji stated, staring at Naruto's chakra. Movement caught my eye - I turned my head to see Kiba running his hand along the floor.

"That does it, stand back guys. I'm gonna bust out of here before my chakra's all gone. Akamaru!" The dog barked and stood. "Have a food pill." He held his hand down so that Akamaru could eat the offered pill. Akamaru turned red. It was kind of scary, and he roared like a lion. It was crazy. Kiba ate a food pill as well during this transformation.

"Ninja Art: Human Mimicry." He formed a hand seal. Akamaru "became" Kiba, but neither looked like the Kiba from before. They had a creepy, bestial look upon their faces, baring their teeth with a wild look in their eyes. "Fang Over Fang!" They leapt into a swirling, spinning mass, slamming into the walls repeatedly.

"Atta boy, Kiba! Go for it!" Naruto cried, suddenly full of energy again. I knew it was too good to be true. Dust rose again while Kiba and Akamaru flew all over the dome slamming into it and the floor repeatedly. I turned my face, pressing it into the cloth of Neji's shirt, to avoid the dust that was rising from their attacks. They finally stopped, and the wall was covered with craters. Akamaru dropped to the ground in his original form, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth while Kiba crouched next to him, looking at the damage he'd caused. It wasn't enough though. The walls just started healing themselves again - the floors too. Kiba said as much aloud.

"Hey, I give us about ten more minutes of this, before our chakra is completely drained." Kiba informed us.

"This stinks!" Naruto complained, crouching on the ground behind me. I glanced around at the walls again, and sure enough, they were still healing. Kiba and Akamaru had done enough damage that it was taking time to heal. Suddenly, Shikamaru spoke.

"Hey, out there! Let me talk to your leader. I've got a deal to propose. What I'm thinking is that you let us out of this thing, and in return, we let you keep Sasuke." What was he pulling? Sasuke was the whole reason we'd come this far.

"But, Shikamaru, what're you doing?" Naruto asked, confusion in his voice.

"No deal." A voice replied from outside the wall. "I've never let a captive go before, and I'm not about to start now."

"Aww, come on." Shikamaru replied. "Listen, how 'bout you just let me go, and you can keep the others." I glanced up sharply at that, turning to stare at Shikamaru's back. "All this fighting, I'm tired of it. It's really not my thing."

"You little!" Kiba growled. "If you're selling us out, I'm gonna wring your neck!"

"Shut up, Kiba, for once in your life." Shikamaru told him, in a slightly more subdued voice than the one he'd used with the person outside.

"What did you say?" Kiba stood up, and Naruto moved to stand next to him. Laughter erupted from the man outside.

"So much for teamwork." More laughter. "So you're really the leader, huh? What a fine example you're setting for the rest of your team. You see a man's true character when he's put to the edge of death. But you're hardly a man at all. Certainly not one who's worthy of leading a team of ninja into battle." The man replied to the fight, his tone mocking. "Sacrificing Sasuke and the rest of your squad, heh, so that's how a Leaf chuunin acts. Did you really believe I'd let you out? You deserve to die."

"That does it, Shikamaru, you dirty little traitor. Let's take this outside. Just you and me." Naruto demanded.

"What do you mean, 'take this outside'? How're you gonna do that, you idiot? We're trapped in here." Kiba countered.

"What did you call me?" Naruto yelled. Kiba grabbed the front of his shirt.

"I called you an idiot, idiot!"

"That's what I thought you said!" Naruto grabbed onto him.

"That's enough!" Chouji, who had been very quiet up until this point, yelled. "Everybody just shut up!" Naruto and Kiba stopped fighting to look at Chouji.

"Chouji?" Naruto asked, confused. Movement caused me to turn and look behind me again. Shikamaru was crouched down, his hands forming a circle with his fingers, eyes closed. What was he doing? Neji rose, and I leaned away from him so that I didn't fall over. I turned my body slightly so that I could look at both Shikamaru and Chouji easily, but I stayed sitting down.

"What-what's Shikamaru doing now? Meditating or something? Why's he just squatting there?" Naruto asked, staring down at our leader. Chouji started munching on some chips.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Is that all you ever think about?" Naruto demanded, turning to point at Chouji.

"That's Chouji for you. Responds to a crisis by stuffing his face, he's a real big help." Kiba remarked dryly. What was wrong with our team? Shouldn't we be supportive of each other and stuff like that?

"Forget this! I'm gonna give shadow clones a try."

"Don't bother." Neji stepped in, and I silently thanked him for ending the idiocy. "That ninja has infused this wall with chakra so that it repairs itself. Your shadow clones won't work. You'll only deplete your own chakra. The fact is, multiple attacks won't work. Our only hope is taijutsu strong enough to destroy it in one blow." And of course, Lee, one of the strong taijutsu users, would be unable to come with us.

"Well, Chouji has taijutsu with a knock-out punch stronger than mine, but just look at him." Chouji was still eating his chips. "He's got other things on his mind."

"Come on. What're we gonna do, just stand here?" Naruto demanded, angry at the world by this point.

"Naruto, please, just shut your mouth for a second and think before speaking." I replied tiredly. "You're getting to be really annoying."

"What did you say?" He demanded, glaring down at me.

"Unless you're an idiot or hard of hearing, you heard me, and I won't repeat myself. Now shut up or I'll make you." I glared back at him, silencing him for the moment.

"Neji." Shikamaru's voice filled the silence I'd made. "I need you to focus those eyes of yours on the wall directly behind you and directly behind Chouji. Do you think you have enough chakra left for that?" I picked a soldier pill out of my emergency pouch and pressed it into his hand, which he took before responding.

"I think so, especially with this pill to help me out." Neji replied easily.

"Hold on!" Naruto cried. "You're not gonna listen to him!"

"Naruto! You still don't get it, do you? Don't you remember what Shikamaru said when came together as a team?"

"'Sasuke is a ninja belonging to the hidden leaf village. He's a comrade, and I'll put my life on the line to help him. That's the way of our village. I know I usually seem like a pretty lazy guy, but not today. Because now I'm responsible for your lives too.'" I quoted softly while Naruto looked as if I'd just hit him over the head with a brick.

"Okay, Chouji, try and keep your voice down, will ya?" Shikamaru whispered. "Kiba. Are you up for trying to put another dent in the wall behind Chouji?"

"Sure, I guess." Kiba replied without hesitation. He clapped his hands together. "Heh. I don't know what's going on, but I'm always up for getting wild." He leapt up above Chouji. "Tunneling Fang!" After a few craters, he dropped to the ground, breathing hard. Neji stared at the walls with his Byakugan.

"Yes, I see it. That's the spot." Neji reported after a moment.

"Okay. Neji, mark the spot with your kunai. Chouji, are you ready buddy?" Shikamaru replied.

"Shikamaru, I was born ready." Chouji proclaimed.

"Good. Then let's get started." Shikamaru grinned.

"Wait, let's get what started?" Naruto asked, still confused as ever. I sighed and stood up, stretching.

"As I said a moment ago, this wall surrounding us has been infused with chakra." Neji pulled out a kunai. "However, the strength of the chakra won't be uniform. Some points in the wall must be weaker than others. Shikamaru was able to figure that out." Neji explained.

"He did? Really? You coulda fooled me. When the heck was this?" Naruto replied.

"He's been watching, and taking it in. For example, when Kiba and Akamaru attacked the wall, while you were watching, he was studying the wall, and he observed that some areas repaired themselves more slowly than others." Neji threw his kunai, which skimmed past my arm. I glared at him slightly, crossing my arms, but said nothing. "That led him to suspect that it was at those points that the chakra was the weakest. Still, he needed to be sure. That's why he spoke to our captor as he did. It was a ruse, used to trick him into giving away his position. And it worked, confirming that Shikamaru's suspicions were right. The band of chakra running through the walls is thinnest and weakest at the point opposite his position. That's about right, isn't it?" Neji turned slightly to look at Shikamaru. Shikamaru just smirked in reply.

"This is all fine and dandy, but we're losing chakra by the second. We can't stand here all day guys." I said softly.

"Right. It's up to you now, Chouji." Shikamaru replied.

"Okay!" Chouji formed a hand seal. "Expansion jutsu!" Chouji grew taller and wider, his arms and legs looking much too small for his enlarged body. "Alright, here we go!" His arms, legs, and head disappeared into him clothing as chakra emitted from the holes in the clothes, and he started to spin. "Human Boulder!" He slammed into the wall directly where Neji's kunai was located, and managed to tunnel his way out of the barrier. The rest of us quickly made our way out of the dome, turning to watch it collapse.

"I can't believe you did it, Chouji." I whispered from my place next to Neji.

"Well Chouji, there's no other way of saying it. That was awesome." Shikamaru praised. Chouji laughed. The dust cleared, and we got to see our captor again. I rested my hand on my kunai pouch, ready for action.

"They managed to escape my barrier ninjutsu." The man said, and I wanted to say 'obviously', but I didn't think annoying him further would help our cause.

"He's by himself. I guess the others went on ahead." Shikamaru said, looking past the large man.

"You're correct." Neji replied, scanning quickly with the Byakugan. "They're nowhere to be seen."

"Swell. And just when I thought we'd finally caught up with them." Shikamaru replied tiredly. The large man clapped.

"Not a bad bit of handy work, you guys. For a bunch of losers." Oh man, that was just screaming 'trap'. And the two idiots on our team fell for it.

"What?" Naruto yelled.

"Who're you calling losers?" Kiba roared. The two ran at the man.

"Stop!" I called as the two yelled at each other, but they ignored me.

"Wait, you two!" Neji yelled after the two finished talking to each other, reinforcing my shout. "Stop!" I glared at the two guys that had run ahead as they stopped.

"There's no way we can take him head on. It's too dangerous." Neji told them.

"Besides, leaping into battle like that is just plain stupid. You're just asking to get killed." I added.

"But we just tore through this clown's barrier, how tough can he be?" He made a hand sign and ran at the man. "Tunneling Fang." He was easily thrown backwards. Naruto leapt over Kiba, creating a clone. The enemy deflected the clone and head butted Naruto backwards, where he hit a tree and slid to the bottom.

"Told you so." I muttered.

"I'm gonna eat you guys for lunch." The man proclaimed.

"Just try it." Kiba taunted. Why were my teammates idiots? After getting thrown to the ground again, Naruto and Kiba were more prone to listen.

"You wouldn't even do as an appetizer." The guy taunted. He made a hand seal.

"Careful, everyone. This guy is just getting warmed up." Shikamaru called out as the man slammed his hand into the ground.

"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison." Not this again. Chouji leapt forward and used his expansion jutsu. I threw a kunai at the man, hoping to distract him, or at least clip him so the poison would work. The shifting ground screwed with my aim though, and I missed. "Human Boulder!" Chouji stirred up dust, and I lunged forward to grab one of the two idiots and hauled him out of the clearing. We crouched in bushes a few feet away, and we looked to Shikamaru.

"We're running out of time. There's no choice, we've gotta split up." Shikamaru decided.

"What'd be the point in that?" Naruto asked.

"He's right." Neji said, backing up Shikamaru. I nodded. Neji looked to watch the man with his Byakugan. "With all our chakra taken away, even with the five of us against him, he's not going to be easy to take out. And with every second that passes, Sasuke gets closer to the border. Once he crosses it, it will all be out of our hands." Neji explained.

"So we have to split up." I whispered. "Just like during the chuunin exams, Naruto. One group will stop him, and the other will catch up and rescue Sasuke." Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"You'll head the second group." Shikamaru told Neji. "Okay?" Just then, our enemy broke down all the trees surrounding the clearing, causing us to have to move.

"So there you are." The six of us stood around a tree that had nearly collapsed on us.

"Neji, take Kiba, Chouji, and Maia and head after Sasuke." Shikamaru ordered.

"You've got it." Neji replied, nodding.

"Naruto, you and I will handle this guy." Shikamaru made a hand seal.

"What're you gonna do? Play with my shadow again?" The guy asked. "Don't waste my time, kid. You've already shown me your little parlor trick, and once was enough."

"That's funny. I seem to remember someone around here getting taken in by that parlor trick." Shikamaru replied. The guy smirked and slammed his hand down, stirring up dust again.

"He's disappeared!" Neji replied.

"No, he's behind us!" Kiba cried, turning. The rest of us followed suit, and my eyes widened at the sight behind us. There he was, with a huge rock - large enough to more than flatten us and the clearing - in his hands.

"Earth Style: Sphere of Graves!" The man proclaimed.

"Are you insane?" Naruto yelled. For once, I was inclined to agree with him. We all leapt as high as we could as he threw the giant boulder at us. I barely made it above before it crashed down to earth, sliding to a stop a few feet behind where we were standing. The earth trembled as we looked around, trying to find out where he went this time.

"Heads up you guys, there's another one coming!" Shikamaru yelled, but he was wrong. Instead, the man came out of the ground, grabbing Shikamaru by his legs.

"You're in charge of this ragtag bunch, am I right? When you've got an idiot for a leader, the whole team suffers. Know what I mean? You don't want to follow a guy like this." The man spun Shikamaru around in the air above his head. Poor Shikamaru. "Let me get rid of him for you." The man threw him.

"Shikamaru!" I cried, watching his form fly through the air. Chouji, faster than I thought he could, expanded and rolled over to Shikamaru, breaking his fall.

"Thanks, Chouji." Shikamaru called, landing on his feet a few feet from the tree he'd nearly slammed into.

"Awww... I try to help you guys out and look what you do. I don't know which is more pathetic, the fool or those who follow him. Tell you what, you don't wanna keep working under this glum-faced shadow lover. I'll just kill you now, and put you out of your misery."

"It's time for you to shut your big mouth!" Naruto yelled. "Or I'll come shut it for you!"

"Naruto!" Chouji yelled at him again. Good for him. "I'll handle him. This guy is mine."

"But Chouji..." Shikamaru muttered.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Naruto demanded. "This isn't the kind of guy you can take on your own."

"He's mine I said." Chouji insisted.

"Yeah, but Chouji..." Naruto whined softly. "You're..."

"Shikamaru, take these soldier pills for everyone." Chouji held out a small sack to our leader.

"Chouji, you're not gonna..?" Shikamaru said, leaving the rest of us to wonder what he was talking about.

"Uh huh. Don't worry, I've got my secret weapon with me." Chouji replied eagerly. Shikamaru took the bag.

"Yeah, but Chouji, this is..." Chouji walked past him towards the enemy.

"Oh this is priceless. You think I'm gonna wait forever?" The man ran at us.

"Heads up!" Naruto yelled.

"I've had enough of this. I'm taking you all out right here!"

"Get going, hurry!" Chouji called to us. He pulled out a case with three pills in them, taking a green colored one. Chouji stopped the man that was running at us.

"Shikamaru, take everybody and get out of here!" He yelled, strained.

"Chouji...!"

"What did the six of us join together for? If we lose Sasuke, we'll be just what this guy said we are! An idiot for a leader with his band of rejects.

"You better catch up with us, Chouji. You hear me?" Shikamaru ordered.

"Yeah. Just go already!"

"Alright, lets move you guys!" Shikamaru said. We turned and left Chouji behind in the clearing.

As we flew through the trees, Shikamaru passed out the solider pills to the rest of us.

"Shikamaru, that pill we saw Chouji take back there. It seemed like some sort of last minute trump card. Do you really think he can win?" Neji asked.

"Yeah, I mean, he said he had some sort of secret weapon on him." Kiba added.

"Don't worry, Chouji has a plan up his sleeve. He brought along with him the Akimichi clan's secret triple threat, pills that grant a person explosive power. There are three of them: green, yellow, and red. The amount of power each of those pills contains is absolutely massive." Shikamaru explained.

"Oh, I gotcha. So that's why he was acting so confident." Naruto said.

"Yeah. But any pill that works that well has to have side-effects." We lapsed into silence on that stunning note, until Akamaru whined.

"Yeah, I know. I was just thinking the same thing myself." Kiba replied.

"What? What did he say?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You know how Akamaru can tell an enemy's strength just by his scent, right? He's pretty worried that Chouji can't take on that gargantuan alone with just those pills to help him." Kiba explained. "He's right to be. If we're looking at it objectively, that giant's ability is an unknown. The chances of Chouji defeating him may be close to zero. However, that may often be the case in battle." Neji replied.

"Neji is right. That's just how a battle is. We knew from the beginning that this mission wouldn't be child's play. It's life or death." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, but, Shikamaru." Naruto replied quietly.

"I've already anticipated the worst case scenario, where each of us fights alone. And at this point, if we're not ready to lay down our lives for this, we might not reach Sasuke in time." He paused. "Chouji is good enough to hold his own, but he doesn't have a lot of confidence. He thinks that out of all of us, he's the weakest link." Shikamaru continued.

"That's because the guy kind of is; anyone can see that. That's pretty much the whole reason he stayed behind back there, because he wanted to be of some kind of use to us." Kiba replied.

"Just as I thought." Shikamaru was smirking. "Everyone's always thought that way about Chouji. But me? I've always known the real truth. More than me or Neji, or anyone here, Chouji's got strength. I believe in him, and I always have." Shikamaru stopped us at a tree, where he started carving into the bark.

"It's for Chouji. He promised he'd catch up. Trust me; he will beat that guy. And after he does, he'll come and find us." Naruto and Kiba joined in on the bark carving. I pulled out my emergency kit and pulled out a healing vial and some wire. I tied the wire tightly around the vial so it wouldn't fall, before hanging it on a branch near the messages. I carved a simple "drink me - Maia" next to it, and was content.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"Chouji is definitely gonna get hurt, and he might not have a lot of energy left. This'll help him out a little bit." I explained. A few moments later, Shikamaru finished.

"Alright everyone, let's get Sasuke back before Chouji catches up." Shikamaru took off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Kiba yelled after us.


	14. Courting Death

Nope. Still don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen – **_Courting Death_

Every so often, we paused so Shikamaru could mark another tree. We continued travelling swiftly, our positions the same, excluding Chouji of course. Suddenly, Shikamaru turned to look behind us, a stricken look on his face.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked.

"It's nothing." Shikamaru replied after a long moment. Then, a bark.

"We're getting close." Kiba announced.

"It's strange. We've been going a long time, and we still haven't encountered any traps." Neji remarked. "Well, Shikamaru? What's your assessment?"

"It looks to me like we've been underestimated. They're cocky. They think we're all dead now, and their big guy is the only one following them. They don't have to set a trap for their own man, do they?" Shikamaru replied.

"Those idiots! They think we're so weak!" Naruto cried.

"It seems you're right about our enemy, Shikamaru, and it's insulting to be underestimated like this. But still: this could be our chance." Neji explained.

"I hear you. Now we can take them by surprise." Shikamaru agreed.

We staged it so that Shikamaru would impersonate the big guy and take Sasuke back. However, it backfired when he didn't act properly. The guy carrying the coffin threw it to one of his friends, who took off with it. The guy was the six-armed freak, and he pinned Shikamaru to a tree with web. Naruto came out of hiding, attacking with shadow clones. However, the guy just threw web on them, catching each and every one of them in his sticky net. I quietly crawled up the tree next to Shikamaru and attempted to saw the net off of him. Kiba and Akamaru attacked him, but I didn't see the result as I was completely baffled as to why the web wasn't cutting.

"Shikamaru, I can't get you out!" I whispered. My hand slipped and I tried to stabilize myself, but I ended up pressing against Shikamaru, gluing my whole left side to his arm. Great. I tried to saw at the web between my body and his, but to no avail. It wasn't coming undone. "Sorry!" I muttered, trying to keep all my weight on the right side of my body.

"I won't let you get away!" Kiba yelled. I glanced over my shoulder to see Kiba and Akamaru crouching under the enemy.

"You stole my line, punk. You should look down at your feet." I glanced down, and saw that there was web on the trunk.

"You coward! You really think you can stop us that easily?" Kiba demanded.

"Why don't you just shut up?" Neji came in, and he nearly had him, but the guy dropped down low and caught Neji too.

"How would you like to see the inside of an air-tight cocoon?" The guy demanded, and then proceeded to wrap Neji up in his web. I stared in horror, praying Neji wouldn't die. I reached into my kunai pouch and grabbed my deadly poison, sawing at the web with that. Maybe the poison would have the same effect on the web that it would on a human, but I was let down. The blade didn't cut, and I was now stuck to Shikamaru.

"Come on! Come on! What the heck's this thread made of? I can't cut it!" I heard Naruto yelling.

"It's no use. I can't cut it either, Naruto." I called over my shoulder. Of course I'd get pinned with my back to the action. I was probably gonna get killed first. If Neji didn't die of oxygen deprivation before me, that is.

"It's useless. My spider silk is so powerful, nothing can break it. Two elephants couldn't pull it apart." The six-armed freak declared. I shifted as much to the side as I could so that I wouldn't block Shikamaru's vision after I heard movement behind me. Since the others couldn't move, it had to be the enemy. The man was currently playing games with Naruto's shadow clones. I listened to him taunt and insult, and finally, according to the enemy, there was only one left.

"Well, well, he made it somehow to the very end. It was fun playing with ya weakling, but unfortunately the game's over for you now. Now die!" He threw something, and I heard a poof - the sound of a shadow clone dying. Then, Naruto yelled, and I knew he hadn't been caught. I sighed in relief. Just then, Neji came up from under Shikamaru and me.

"Neji!" I whispered; glad to see he wasn't dead.

"Need a hand?" He replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm an idiot. Could you help us out?" I replied. He got us free and the two of us went to a web-free branch while Neji freed Kiba and Akamaru. Then, he went to save Naruto, who'd just been tugged by a strand of thread.

"Naruto!" Neji yelled, freeing him and then carrying him to our branch. "Thanks for stalling him for me."

"I trapped you. How did you get free?" The man demanded.

"Your spider web had a chakra base. And chakra-based substances don't stand a chance against my gentle fist attack." Neji replied. "This guys' jutsu, I think I'm the only one who can handle it. Go on, you guys. I'll take care of it." Neji told us bravely. Akamaru started whining, and I glanced down as Kiba kneeled.

"It looks like this guy is stronger than that big guy from before. Much stronger." Kiba relayed.

"We're going to have to go one-on-one to have any chance for success. Isn't that what you said?" Neji whispered to Shikamaru.

"Yeah. That's what we agreed." Shikamaru acknowledged.

"And besides, if we all stay here, we won't be able to catch up with Sasuke." Neji added.

"But what about Chouji? He hasn't come back." Kiba asked.

"We all embarked on this mission to find Sasuke and bring him back home to the village. But that's not the only reason why we've come. We're on this mission to protect a fellow shinobi; to defend the bond of the hidden leaf village. At the third Hokage's funeral, when Iruka spoke, do you remember his words?" I thought back to the funeral, and remembered Naruto asking Iruka why people would risk their lives for other people.

Iruka replied with _'Well, when someone passes away, it's the end. His past and future, all the dreams he once had, they disappear along with him. This is true, even if he dies honorably in battle, as so many have, as Hayate did. All the ties that bind him to the living are gone. All but one, the most important of all. People: parents, siblings, friends, lovers; the people who are important to him. And these people, the ones left behind, are joined together in a great circle by their shared memories of him. A circle of friendship, trust, and sacrifice that grows larger and stronger as time passes. It's hard to explain it. We remain in the circle together. We have no choice. It's important to us.'_

"Listen: Sasuke's out there right now, heading for Orochimaru. We can't allow such evil to take someone from our village. It's not our way. What's more," He paused, staring at Naruto, who looked nervous. "Naruto. Sometimes, your eyes are even better than mine. Wherever he is, Sasuke is in the darkness. Now, get going! I'll be right behind you."

"I'm staying too." I said softly. The others looked at me. "There's only two left, plus Sasuke, who makes three. There're four of us. I can stay behind to provide back up to Neji. After, I can go find Chouji and he can catch up." I tugged out my emergency pouch and pulled out the second to last healing potion. "Shikamaru, take this. Give it to whoever you think will need it most. And these as well." I pulled out three sleeping poisons and three paralysis. "The yellow are sleeping, as I said before, and the blue are paralysis. Don't cut yourselves, because I can't give you the antidotes for fear you'll mix them up and end up hurting yourselves." I told them this very softly, handing off the knives to Shikamaru, who took them gingerly.

"Maia, you should go." Neji told me sternly. I turned to look up at him.

"We're teammates. They don't need me, and this guy is really strong. Gai-sensei would go crazy if he found out I left you here by yourself." Neji smirked slightly.

"He would, wouldn't he?"

"Alright, let's do this thing." Shikamaru rose from his crouch.

"When you guys catch up with us, bring Chouji with you." Kiba told us.

"Of course we will." Neji replied, still trying to stare me down and force me to go with them. I glared back belligerently, crossing my arms. The other three left, leaving the two of us on the trunk.

"You can't handle this, Maia. I'm the only one that can break free." He whispered fiercely as soon as the others were gone.

"Then I just have to move quickly, now won't I?" I replied easily. I drew two kunai, a paralysis and a sleeping. "You won't get rid of me, so let's just get this over with, alright?" We turned to face the enemy, who threw web after our friends; I dropped down a few tree branches so that I wouldn't get hit with the webbing as Neji got caught, before breaking the web.

"If you want them, you'll have to go through me!" Neji taunted. I threw my kunai at him as he spat a web at Neji. The guy deflected it easily, batting it out of the air like a pesky fly.

"Not good enough!" Neji cried, and I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or the enemy.

"Well that's fine by me. Besides, you're by far the strongest of the lot - unlike the one in the bushes below you!" He threw some more webs, this time down at me. I yelped and dodged behind a tree trunk, climbing up higher to be near the same level as Neji.

"Aw, man. I'm really itching to play with you, and we should play slowly, or else the game's not as fun." Neji got into his ready position, and the guy shifted as I stood warily near Neji, ready to dodge out of the way.

"Okay. The game is I'll kill you both in three minutes or less." I smirked at the thought. I was sure I could survive longer than three minutes. He spat multiple barrages at us, and I dodged, ducking down low under the branch, but a stray web caught me by surprise, pinning me sideways to a tree. A few moments later, Neji was caught too, and both his arms were pinned away from his body.

"Neji!" I yelled, staring at him from my position, struggling to try to get free.

"You're not going anywhere." Our enemy told us, smirking. "For a wimp, you're pretty good at handling chakra, aren't you? Unlike your friend there." One of my arms was free. I carefully, and slowly, moved it to my side, where my kunai pouch was. I glanced down so that I didn't get my hand stuck just inches from my prize, and flipped the pouch open. I gently pried out a paralysis poison, which I then lifted up with my arm so that there was no fear of web, and threw while he was distracted. However, he wasn't as distracted as I thought, and he caught it, throwing it back at me. I struggled, trying to shift madly so that it wouldn't hit me, but it grazed my arm.

"Neji! It's blue!" I yelled, not wanting to give away that it was a paralysis poison. The guy didn't pay much attention to me, turning back to Neji without a second glance at me.

"If you can't use those annoying hands of yours, then you can't cut through my silk. That was way too easy. Once you figure out your opponent's rules of engagement, games like this one are no longer amusing. It's only been a minute or so, and I'm already tired of playing with you. I'll kill you first, and then I'll kill your friend." He started chewing some more of that tread, and then suddenly spat some of the orange thread at him. Neji leapt free of his webs, since he had a skill that not many Hyuugas had - rotation. That allowed him to shoot chakra from any point of his body, and thus he could get free. Neji ran along the hardened silk and landed before the enemy.

"I suppose you want me to explain how I broke free. You see, it's not just my hands. I have chakra points all over me, and I can emit chakra from any one. And now, as you would say, game over! Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms!" I would have grinned, but the poison was coursing through my veins now. It would be an hour until I would be free of it, unless Neji administered the antidote. Neji hit him with sixty-four palms and landed, staring at the opponent for a moment. I couldn't see him, since he was just out of my vision, but Neji looked surprised. Apparently, what he saw wasn't good.

"Well, well, that was close. I know if I take just one direct hit from that gentle fist of yours, my whole chakra system goes out of wack. You keep me on my toes kid." The man said smugly.

"That material. Where does it come from, you monster?" Neji demanded.

"Impressive, yes? My sticky spider thread is actually a type of metal that hardens the instant it leaves my body. It's impervious to chakra. What's more, not only can I can excrete it from my mouth as you've seen, but from every sweat gland in my body." The man explained. All I could see was Neji, and not seeing the enemy was maddening. Then, Neji's eyes widened and he glanced around, searching for the enemy. Quickly, he ran over to me and grabbed the emergency kit, tearing out the paralysis antidote - which was also marked with a blue thread. He opened it and then, before he could do anything, had to dodge as knives came at us from all angles. He used rotation, but some still hit me. He spun to me and opened my mouth, pouring the antidote down my throat and helping me swallow it quickly. Then, he released me, setting me at the base of the tree.

"As soon as you can move, get away. You can't help me, Maia." I would have protested, but I was paralyzed, so he just moved away so that he wouldn't hurt me any more than he already had, before throwing a kunai at a target somewhere out of my sight.

"I know you're there. Come out." My body was becoming tingly. Good. I would be able to move sooner than the hour I'd have had without the antidote.

"Okay, then. I give you credit. You've made this game more of a challenge than I thought it'd be. Time to start playing for real. Summoning jutsu!" After a pause to let the summons occur, he spoke again. "I warn you kid: however strong your defenses are, I can find a way around them." Suddenly, spiders trailing silk were falling out of the sky. Neji preformed rotation, causing the silk to trail around him. He slowed visibly, even to my eye.

"Now you die!" A dagger of that sticky web flew at him, and he blocked it before it hit him. I sighed in relief. More daggers flew out at him, which he dodged instead of blocking, to avoid the thread. He took the eight trigrams pose again to kill the incoming spiders, which I could barely see from my position. Then, he said something new.

"Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms." Oh, how I wished I could see him moving right now. It must be extremely fast, and I did not envy any enemy that was subject to this attack. It would kill anyone it came into contact with. My body was well enough to stand, and I rose just as a knife hit him in the back. More and more spiders flew at him, and he had to start moving again, because the kunai's were coming down again. I rested heavily against the bark of the tree, my body still not fully mobile. He wanted me to abandon him to this? Even when I was powerless against the webs, there was surely something I could do to help him! I watched as again and again Neji dodged, and then he had even more knives in his back.

"Neji!" I lurched forward to help him, and then dropped to my knees as my body rebelled. It wasn't ready to move yet. The man laughed.

"I told you I'd find a way around your defenses. Actually, right through your defenses. All those fancy moves of yours, they're all just an attempt to hide your blind spot aren't they? Those eyes don't quite see everything, do they?" Neji rose shakily. "Am I supposed to be impressed? Why bother? The game's over." I looked up to Neji, his hair was loose from its usual tie, blood on his back from the kunais. "What is the point? What the heck do you hope to accomplish? Don't make this messier than it has to be! Just roll over and die already. You can't beat me!"

"Look out!" Neji looked up to see a giant spider coming down at him. It landed on him, and I stared in horror. But then, the spider exploded, spewing web everywhere. Then, there were kunai's. They embedded themselves into his body, since he couldn't use rotation.

"No!" I forced my body to move, just as Neji was, since he was managing to stand. I helped him up and supported him. He was breathing hard, and after a moment he pulled mostly away from me. I stared up at the enemy, who was doing something with his web.

"Neji, we have to move." I whispered to my comrade, trying to tug him behind a tree, so that we weren't out in the open. He didn't respond, and he resisted my attempts to move him. He just stood there, breathing heavily, waiting. I couldn't see the enemy any longer. He'd moved so that neither of us could see what he was doing, and that worried me. Something was coming at us, fast. I could see branches breaking and hear the movement of something fast. Neji suddenly jerked, and I felt a sharp pain along the edge of my arm. I glanced at it to see that I had a large gash there, and then Neji collapsed on the ground, blood flowing from a wound in his shoulder. An arrow was embedded in the ground. It had hit both of us – but I had gotten way less damage than Neji had. He'd taken the full blow, and I'd been grazed. I grabbed for my emergency kit, but it was across the clearing where Neji had dropped it after he'd given me the antidote. I hurried over to it, leaping over strands of web, grabbing it and running back. As I went, I was suddenly aware of the mass of chakra that was around him, which I passed through. I wondered why the enemy hadn't attacked yet. Maybe he was in shock that Neji had survived. No matter, it just helped me. I landed next to Neji as he was lifting himself up onto all fours. I yanked out my healing potion and held it to his lips.

"Drink this, Neji. You have to drink it." I told him fiercely, afraid that the blow would do him in. It wasn't an instantly fatal wound, but coupled with the blood loss from before, it might just kill him. He downed it, understanding it for what it was, before I helped him up. I then pulled out my pouch of soldier pills, from which I took out one of them. "Now eat this." He obliged without thinking, and then we were running. Well, Neji was. I followed after him, watching as he yanked out the kunais from his back. I followed in his footsteps, when I heard the twang of a bowstring. I risked a glance behind me, and was met with immense pain as I flew forward a good three feet or so. Neji had dodged to the side, and there had been a tree in my way, causing me to be unable to follow. My shoulder was on fire – the arrow had passed through it. But still, something was running through it, and I cried out from the pain. It was unlike anything I'd felt before. It was like someone took a hot poker and ran it through my shoulder, and then took some salt and lemon juice and just started rubbing the concoction into my ravaged flesh. I would have collapsed, but the thing kept me standing, hung like a marionette. I glanced over at my right shoulder – there was one of those threads running through it. I assumed the arrow had been on it. That was why the arrow wasn't at my feet – he was using the string to guide the arrow to follow Neji. Well, it sucked for me.

"Maia!" I heard Neji's voice, as if it were crossing a large distance instead of a couple trees. The thread had stopped, and I was just standing there, head bowed, body held up by the will of the thread.

"Get away from here!" I yelled, mustering up my courage to tell Neji this with a calm face. I wasn't sure if he could see me, but I wanted to exude calm. "While you still can, get away. It's too late for me. I'm stuck here." Still, I saw him coming for me, and I glared at him. He ignored it and cut the thread quickly, before roughly pulling my body off the sticky thread. I screamed as it ripped away flesh from the inside of my shoulder, but it wasn't a lot. It was just painful. He sat me down at the base of a tree.

"Stay here, and stay low." He ordered me tiredly, before he rose and looked down at me, a bit of fear and something else in his eyes. Then, he glanced towards where the freak-show we had for an enemy was. He was a powerful freak-show, I'd give him that. I looked up, and noticed that his curse mark was visible. His hitai-ate had been thrown off by the last arrow. It had been really close to his face. I winced to think of it going through his head. Neji was panting and trembling. I don't know how he was going to survive this fight. Suddenly, a small, sad smile appeared on his features, and he seemed much calmer.

"I've had enough." He whispered, to himself. "Besides, it's not like I can dodge it anyway, is it?" He turned away and took a step, as if going to retrieve his hitai-ate, before pausing to bow his head.

_Snap._

"Neji! The arrow-!" And he spun, turning to face the oncoming attack. I looked up at him, and he seemed so determined, that I almost believed that he wouldn't get hit. Then, he was flying backwards, a thread ripping through the tree above me, splintering the bark that was now showering upon me.

"No! Neji!" Then, there was no movement. Neji was pinned to a tree across the way from me by the stomach. He was slumped over, probably in pain, hopefully not in death. All the way across the area he'd travelled, there were blood spatters. His blood. And then, movement. He looked up at where the enemy was and then placed his hand on the thread that bound the two together, a fierce look upon his face. I heard a thud, and I knew that somehow, in some way, Neji had taken him down. Then, the Byakugan was dismissed and Neji looked up, before spitting out more blood. I got up, pressing a hand to my shoulder, bracing myself against the shattered tree behind me.

"Neji, we've got to get out of here. Your wounds-" And then the Byakugan was back on. He snapped the thread and ran, heading into the trees. I ignored my pain, my wounds, and ran after him, knowing that if I didn't, I'd never find him again without help. My brain was muddled with exhaustion, fear, and pain. Especially pain. And if Neji could run with _two_ holes in his body, I sure as hell could do it with one. Neji leapt into the air, and I heard grunts of pain. Yards away, a crumpled form fell – it wasn't Neji. Then, Neji landed as well, crouching near the guy, and I stumbled towards him before collapsing next to him.

"But how?" The six-armed freak demanded as I moved closer, noting how he couldn't move. "You should be dead. Why are you still alive?"

"I couldn't have evaded it anyway, so I decided to take the hit deliberately, and I know my weakness much better than you do. The Byakugan does have a blind spot, but knowing the direction your attack would be coming from, I could release chakra just through that one point and watch for your attack. Moving just a few inches just to avoid the worst was no great feat. I'm seriously hurt, but I'm still alive."

"So you did it on purpose, huh? Knowing you were gonna die here anyway, why would you go that far?"

"You are the strongest enemy I have ever fought. But, there is a reason why I cannot lose. Once, not so long ago, the strongest person I'd ever fought out of everyone said to me: 'you can do it too, 'cause after all, unlike me, you're not a failure.'" I recognized Naruto's words from the chuunin exams and I grinned weakly. "Those were his words. All this time, I've been called a genius, so I cannot lose. I can't let down those who believe in me. The weakest one in the game goes down first. Didn't you say that? Well look where we are now. Fate isn't something for you to decide." Neji knelt over, and I slowly pulled out my emergency kit, dumping it on the ground. Vials fell, but the ground was so close to the mouth of the bag that they didn't break.

"I don't know, you look like you're seeing death too kid." The guy replied weakly.

"But I will not die, because she will save me." I began to cut some bandages into a pad for Neji's wounds, for they were far more serious than my own.

"Go ahead, try all you want. There's no way you can stop it. It's too late. Sasuke Uchiha has fled to the sound village of his own free will." Neji released his Byakugan, and I pulled his jacket off very slowly, since it unzipped.

"No! There's someone who can find him in the darkness, and save him from his path."

"Sasuke belongs to Lord Orochimaru now. I don't care who it is, he can't save-"

"He will! Because, Naruto, he saved me from the darkness too." Neji looked up at the sun and smiled.

"Talking rubbish right up to the end." The guy then collapsed after spitting up blood.

"Just shut up!" I snarled weakly, before Neji fell over too. "Neji!" Damn it! I could barely move myself, and he was passing out on me. I somehow managed to prop him up – not because I had the strength, but because I absolutely _had_ to do it. I could not fail, just as Neji could not lose. Neji's life was on the line. Tears silently streamed down my face as I frantically tried to save his life. I wasn't even aware of them until the tears hit my hands. I held him up, his shoulder pressed against my chest. I managed to bind pads to the two holes on his abdomen, staunching the bleeding slightly. Then, I did the same for his shoulder. It was then that I ran out of bandages. I looked at the bandages on his arm – they were clean for the most part. They'd have to do. I cut the small knot that held them in place and unraveled them. I then tugged my fingerless-long sleeved gloves off of my arms, wadding them into pads so that I could tie them to my shoulder. I managed to keep myself awake long enough to tie them as tightly as was possible for me in this position and from the weakening state my body was becoming. I wished I hadn't given off my healing potion to Shikamaru. It would have been very useful.

I slowly drug myself and Neji to the base of a tree, out of the immediate line of sight. Not like we would go unnoticed if an enemy came back for us, but at least it was something I could put my back up against. I rested against it, legs straight out. I had Neji lying propped up next to me, his body slumped against mine, so that I could feel his breathing and his pulse, and know that he was still alive. I slid my arm behind him so that I could press my hand against the wound in his shoulder without having to shift awkwardly. My other hand went to his stomach, where the second hole was. Between the point Neji had passed out and I had gotten us to here, it had been about forty-five minutes, if not longer. I couldn't remember exactly when I began this. I then prepared myself for a long wait – hoping that someone would be sent to help us.

It was another forty-five minutes before I heard anything. I had fallen into a doze, resting my head against Neji, when I heard a noise. It was actually really loud, since a soft one wouldn't have alerted me in my hazed state. Men in white were in the clearing. I spotted a leaf headband. The first thing they noticed, as I had expected, was the fallen body of the enemy, since I had tugged us away.

"Help!" I called softly, my throat dry. The men heard me easily, though, and looked up alertly. Once they spotted me, they rushed over, lying the both of us out so that they could check our wounds.

"He needs it more… he's worse." I muttered, trying to get the nin to ignore me and help him. I had had two medic-nin around me, but at my continued insistence, one of them moved to Neji. The third stayed by me and gave me some emergency treatment. While lying there, I vaguely remembered when I had been sliced from wrist to elbow by a kidnapper, and how I'd felt pale by the time I got to camp. I wished I could feel like that right now. I was so far past that state, and Neji was even further.

"His condition is critical. He needs immediate attention." A voice said.

"Her condition is severe, but not yet at critical. If we don't move soon, she'll reach critical state." I was lifted up into someone's arms, very gently. I fell asleep in their embrace.


	15. Recovery

I was only going to post one chapter, but then I realized that this chapter and the next are really, **really** short. So, I took pity on you and decided to post the next two, along with a third. They're kind of boring, but they're mildly important to the plot. So, yeah. I'm sorry that it's boring here. It gets better, I promise. I believe the next time I update will have happy fun time fight scenes and stuff. Yaay, violence! :D

I don't own Naruto, sadly.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen – **_Recovery_

I woke up in a hospital bed. I tried to sit up, but the movements made my shoulder throb with pain. Very well then, I would stay lying down. I turned my head to look around me, but I didn't see anyone in the room. I felt very tired, and as I lay there, I thought about what had happened in the forest. I hoped they'd gotten Neji to the hospital in time. Then, after that brief period of prayer, I wondered about my teammates. Did they all survive? Those men that had run off with Sasuke after we'd encountered the six-armed man… if they were as strong as, or even stronger, than the man Neji and I faced, then they might not have made it. The thought made my blood run cold. As I lay there, lost in my thoughts, the door opened. The sound of it shutting drew me out of my contemplation, and I looked over to see Shikamaru.

"You're awake." He said, walking over to lean against the bed at my feet. "You've been asleep for awhile."

"Really? What time is it?" I asked, looking up at him.

"It's eight in the morning – you've been asleep since they recovered you and Neji."

"How is Neji? And the others, how're they?"

"They stabilized Neji a few hours after they brought him here – about thirty minutes after I got back. Chouji was in bad shape, but he was stabilized as well soon after I arrived. Kiba and Akamaru are pretty seriously injured, like you are, but they'll be okay. Naruto is healing very fast for the injuries took and the chakra he lost." I smiled, relieved.

"Thank goodness." I looked him over. "So, you're just fine, then?"

"Yeah. I feel kind of bad, seeing how the rest of you were all injured while I got away with nothing more than a broken finger." I shook my head lightly.

"Don't feel bad. We'll be out of here in no time, don't you worry. But I do envy you a bit. While you get to have fun and go on missions and stuff, we're stuck in the stupid hospital." He grinned crookedly at me.

"I'm sure the time will fly by so fast that you won't even notice it. This place will be just like home, eventually." At the word home I remembered something.

"Oh man, Ryu. Shikamaru, do you know where Tenten is?"

"Yeah. She was outside of Neji's operating room, last I saw."

"Could you ask her to come visit me? I need to ask her a favor or two."

"What a drag. Fine. But only because you're hospitalized." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he left the room quietly. About ten minutes later, I heard footsteps in the hallway, and then the door opened. I turned my head slightly to see Tenten, and I smiled.

"I see Shikamaru ditched me."

"He's talking to Neji. Shikamaru said you needed to talk to me?"

"Oh yeah. Ryu doesn't even know I went off on a mission. Did he come to your place when I didn't come home last night?" She shook her head. "Could you take him to your place, then? I'd feel a lot better."

"Of course I could. Mom loves him like a son." She took a seat. "Did you want anything else?"

"Well, if it's no trouble, could you bring me _something_ to do here? I have a feeling I'm gonna be stuck here awhile, and that I'll get very bored." Tenten laughed at me.

"Poor thing. I'll see what I can do." I thanked her, which she just waved off. "Don't worry about it. Now, how come you got to go on some fun mission and I was left behind, huh?"

"You shoulda came and visited Lee, now shouldn't you have? The three of us were together when Shikamaru approached us, and there was no time to get anyone else. Besides," I grimaced. "These guys, they're no joke. I can't believe we all survived." I admitted. "One on one, which was pretty much how the fight went, it was horrible. The guy Neji and I faced could only be defeated using the Hyuuga Gentle Fist. However, if I wasn't there, he'd have probably bled to death before the medics got to him."

"Thank goodness for that, then. How'd you get that?" She pointed at my shoulder. So, I slowly relayed the whole story of the fight.

"Pretty much I was in the wrong place at the wrong time." I told her, finally. "I wouldn't have gotten hit if I had ducked away – but it's not like I was gonna let him face this guy by himself." She nodded in understanding.

"Alright," She glanced up at the clock then rose. "They're gonna come kick me out in a minute, so I should get going. I need to find Ryu and get him to your house. Does he have a key?" I nodded. "Good. I'll get him clothes and I'll find a book or something for you."

"Thanks. I can't wait." I waved goodbye, and she left, closing the door softly.

My stay in the hospital lasted two and a half weeks. Naruto and Kiba got out before me, but Neji and Chouji were still hospitalized. During that time, after the first week, I could walk around a little, and I went to visit my teammates. I read the books Tenten brought me and planned what I'd do when I got out. The first order of business was a new home. I'd put it off for far too long. Then, more poison recipes so that I could extend my knowledge. But mostly, other than that, I slept. The drugs they gave me made me very tired.

When they finally released me, I could walk pretty well, but I was a bit shaky still with my energy. The medicine they kept me on and the prolonged movement sapped my energy, so I was still tired for the first few days. Ryu came home with me the first day and played nursemaid to me, much to my amusement. Then, three days after I had been released, the two of us went out to look for a bigger apartment.

There were no open homes in the building we currently lived in, so we travelled to another nearby apartment building. They, too, had no open rooms that were large enough. Finally, in a building near the center of the village, there was a room large enough for the two of us. The rent was higher, as expected, but there were two bedrooms and two baths, which meant I wasn't sleeping on the couch and we didn't have to wait on the other in the bathroom. Slowly we started moving things over to the new home. First went clothes and other odds and ends that I could actually carry. As we got to the heavier items, I hit up some of my shinobi friends to help me out. Tenten, Naruto, and Kiba all pitched in, carrying my bed frame, the dressers, and all other furniture. I carried pots and pans, non perishables, and all of my herbs, vials, and dishes that went with my poison trade. The others carried the desk itself, which was situated in the living room, just as it had been in the last apartment. In less than half a week, we had everything moved over into the other house, except for furniture for Ryu, since there was none to be had yet. Once everything from the old apartment was set up in their proper places in the house, I checked over the money we had, and then Ryu and I went shopping for his furniture. He got a bed, two dressers, and a few bathroom pieces, along with a couple more outfits and some bedroom decorations. It delved quite a bit into my money, but I didn't mind. He needed stuff of his own too. The others helped set up his room – which took a day – and then everything was perfect. Ryu was overjoyed to have his own room and excitedly directed us to put his things where he liked them. Then, we put his clothes and posters up, and it was done. The five of us, Naruto, Kiba, Tenten, Ryu, and I, all went out to dinner which I paid for, to thank them for their work. Then we went home to our new home, where I passed out on my bed fully dressed.

It wasn't until a week after we had the apartment set up that Neji was released from the hospital and that I was finally off of my medication. My shoulder, while still a little tender and sore, could take much more stress now. I started doing light practice with Tenten while Neji watched us, envy in his eyes. Since he'd been in the hospital longer, he actually got off of his meds sooner, since he'd had more attention from the medic-nin. He was training as soon as he was off the meds. Ryu joined us too, as he used to, whenever he had the time.


	16. Moving Forward, Growing Stronger

Yaay, time-skip chapter! Finally, we're getting to the good sections!

I don't own Naruto in this time-space continuum, but who knows? Maybe in a different one I do! :DD

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen – **_Moving Forward, Growing Stronger_

I decided that, for our first big change, we'd get a new home. We were cramped in the apartment anyway. There were no open homes in the building we currently lived in, so we travelled to another nearby apartment building. They, too, had no open rooms that were large enough. Finally, in a building near the center of the village, there was a room large enough for the two of us. The rent was higher, as expected, but there were two bedrooms and two baths, which meant I wasn't sleeping on the couch and we didn't have to wait on the other in the bathroom. Slowly we started moving things over to the new home. First went clothes and other odds and ends that I could actually carry. As we got to the heavier items, I hit up some of my shinobi friends to help me out. Tenten, Naruto, and Kiba all pitched in, carrying my bed frame, the dressers, and all other furniture. I carried pots and pans, non perishables, and all of my herbs, vials, and dishes that went with my poison trade. The others carried the desk itself, which was situated in the living room, just as it had been in the last apartment. In less than half a week, we had everything moved over into the other house, except for furniture for Ryu, since there was none to be had yet. Once everything from the old apartment was set up in their proper places in the house, I checked over the money we had, and then Ryu and I went shopping for his furniture. He got a bed, two dressers, and a few bathroom pieces, along with a couple more outfits and some bedroom decorations. It delved quite a bit into my money, but I didn't mind. He needed stuff of his own too. The others helped set up his room – which took a day – and then everything was perfect. Ryu was overjoyed to have his own room and excitedly directed us to put his things where he liked them. Then, we put his clothes and posters up, and it was done. The five of us, Naruto, Kiba, Tenten, Ryu, and I, all went out to dinner which I paid for, to thank them for their work. Then we went home to our new home, where I passed out on my bed fully dressed.

It wasn't until a week after we had the apartment set up that Neji was released from the hospital and that I was finally off of my medication. My shoulder, while still a little tender and sore, could take much more stress now. I started doing light practice with Tenten while Neji watched us, envy in his eyes. Since he'd been in the hospital longer, he actually got off of his meds sooner, since he'd had more attention from the medic-nin. He was training as soon as he was off the meds. Ryu joined us too, as he used to, whenever he had the time. Lee, who had went out to help us on that mission, had been kept in the hospital until Neji was released, to let his bones set more before he was allowed to roam around unsupervised, and trained with us as well. As we all got better – excluding Tenten – we started upping the training, going harder and harder. We completed a few D-rank missions, for which I was grateful because I needed the money. It was mainly cleaning and repair work, but it was easy. I bought poison recipes and groceries with my new money.

Months passed, and we went on multiple missions. We fought a lightning wielding man, who nearly defeated us all, especially when Neji's Byakugan couldn't work. The four of us, with Naruto, managed to pull through and defeat him finally. We returned home to train for a week before going to the Land of Birds to exterminate a ghost, which ended up being Naruto in disguise. The idiot. Two weeks later, after intense training, self-teaching myself in the art of poison, and watching over Ryu, we traveled to the Hidden Star Village, where we were to help the village protect a star that had landed there over two hundred years previously. There, we discovered a shinobi that could use chakra to fly, a skill only those from the Hidden Star Village could use. However, when we found the thief, it turned out that it was the parents of one of the students within – a boy named Sumaru – who were trying to protect the students from the training they did with the star, which hurt them immensely. The Hoshikage was furious once the truth was revealed, and tried to massacre everyone, but we pulled through and went home with a failed mission. Lady Hokage, though she did reprimand us, told us we were fine for not succeeding, since there would be no complaints.

We do many other missions over the course of a few months, gaining more and more skills. I've mastered another poison and genjutsu in this time. I have created a poison that, when injected into the blood stream, seems harmless enough. However, after a short period of time, it causes the one inflicted with it to become nauseous and quite sick for fifteen minutes – plenty of time to subdue them and administer the antidote, if it is even needed. I marked the kunai coated with this poison with a strand of light green gossamer. The genjutsu, which I had created, was called Elusive Mist. It formed a mist around me and my opponents. While my teammates and I would fade away into the mist, either to stage a new attack or flee, the enemy would be distracted by shadows that would appear in the mist, looking vaguely like me. We do two more escort missions, which were way easy. We took one woman to the Hidden Rain Village, and the second required us to escort a whole family to the Land of Rice. We had a few issues with the guards, but other than that, we were just fine.

When we returned to the village, we discovered that Naruto had left with the Sannin Jiraiya. He was just like our enemy Orochimaru, and our Hokage Tsunade, who were both also Sannin – legendary ninja of the leaf village. My team, with Naruto's disappearance, began to train anew as well. Gai-sensei had added us to the next set of chuunin exams – which were to take place in the Hidden Sand Village. After some intense training to get us ready, we set off.

Arrival in the sand village had only one notable trait. It was freaking hot. I suddenly missed the cool, sheltering protection of the trees. However, I didn't complain, and neither did my team. The first exam started in two days, and we wanted to rest up, adjust to the climate change, and prepare our tools. I checked my two holsters. The first held my poisoned weapons – all except for five kunai and all the shurikens weren't poisoned. The rest of the forty kunai within were poisoned. Fifteen were sleeping, fifteen were paralysis, five were deadly poison, and the last five were my newest nausea poison. In a side flap of the holster was wire and some soldier pills. My second pouch, as always, was my emergency kit. I checked it thoroughly. A roll of bandages, some more soldier pills, a vial of each poison and their antidotes, which were in hypodermic form, three healing vials, a handful of extra, clean weapons, and a brush. Then, a handful of nutrition bars, a second coil of wire, and it was good to go.

The day of the beginning of the test, I dressed in my usual short black shorts, gray-green tank top that showed off my stomach and belly button, my long fingerless gloves, and the hitai-ate around my forehead. At my hip were the two kunai holsters. Then, I met my team downstairs in the living room of the guest house we were sharing. After getting all of our things together, we went to the chuunin exam site. There, after some waiting and less drama than the last chuunin exam I'd been to, we were administered the first test – a written exam again. After disqualifying over half of the students, we were sent into a section of the desert that had an oasis in the middle. There was nowhere to hide, making it that much more difficult. We had to find scrolls, like before, only they were fire and water this time. The oasis was the goal to turn them in at. My team fought a handful of teams, stealing their scrolls as we went, before reaching the goal. Then, we had the month off to train for the final exam, since only five teams made it to the end this time, including ours. The blistering heat had been too much for some, and others had just been beaten too terribly because there was nowhere for them to hide. I was fighting some rain ninja dude, which was fine with me. I'd beat him to a pulp.

Harsh training followed the next month. We all pushed ourselves to become even stronger, to get better than we had in the exams. I developed two new ninjutsus. The first was one where she created chakra-leaves and sent them at her enemy, slashing and cutting them, called Leaf Blade for obvious reasons. The second was Acid Rain – a mixture of her herb lore and some water from her canteen, she could force it to rain down upon her enemy, burning them. Then, they were back to the sand. Neji and I easily defeated our enemies, our fights lasting no longer than five minutes at max. Tenten was beaten, but barely. Lee fought Kankuro, who had new tricks as well as new puppets, which he used to defeat Lee. I consoled him.

Neji and I were made chuunins since we had aced the exams so well. Over the course of the next year I developed more poisons, focusing mainly upon that half of my training. I made my own, having gotten bored with the similar poison recipes I found. In this time, I developed my last five poisons. They were difficult to discover, and harder to make antidotes for, but I am pleased to say I have done so. The poisons are as follows: a poison that, after a few moments in the blood stream, causes immense pain, but does not kill. I call it the Painful, and it is marked with red flax. The next one causes delusions once inside the blood, and is marked with purple wool. The third causes dizziness and is marked with white nylon, while the fourth makes the person shake uncontrollably and is noted with orange cotton. The fifth and final one causes the person to lose all sense of equilibrium, almost always making them lose their balance, become nauseous, and to get severe headaches. It is marked with dark green canvas. Each of these can last up to an hour unless the antidote is administered. Besides these, I learned almost one hundred different generic poisonous concoctions, from the easiest to the most difficult, borrowing scrolls from Lady Hokage herself at times.

Along with poisons, I learned to create other items with my herbs. These were more in the healing area – like my healing potions or antidotes. I created a potion that would restore some chakra to the imbiber. This took me almost a month to figure out – and it was very draining too, for I had to infuse it with my own chakra. The second was an energy restorative, which was a little easier than the chakra restorative, but harder because the herbs were much more elusive. I made a cure-all for more common things, including venoms, light sicknesses, and allergies. I made a final potion, a more refined, much stronger version of my old healing potion.

After finishing a written exam on poisons, potions, antidotes and herb lore, I was made into a Special Jounin of poisons. Along with this, I learned some minor healing jutsus, and they were very helpful in my testing of the poisons. They're the only two I know. The first is a minor injury healing jutsu, which heals light cuts and other injures, such as small gashes or bruises. I can't heal major wounds without draining myself completely. The second has everything to do with poisons, being a poison removal jutsu. I used this to help me figure out the antidotes faster, and it can possibly remove venom from the veins of the person I'm trying to cure. It isn't one hundred percent on every one of my poisons, but it's good enough for most.

The second year I focused on becoming a jounin proper, because I wished to teach my own team of genin. I worked on all my jutsu skills. I discovered I had an affinity for the earth and water elements, and as such began to study those. I honed my taijutsu, becoming stronger and faster. I made ninjutsus, two more in fact. I took to carrying seeds more after learning this next jutsu I call Budding Seeds. I would scatter seeds on the ground, and I could use my chakra to forcibly make them grow faster. Now, these could be herbs I need to make potions, poisons, and antidotes, or they could be brambles and briars which could harm an enemy. The second was Deep Submerge. I could only perform this near a body of water, such as a river. I took water from this source and made it fly into my enemy, knocking them over and potentially knocking their breath out or stunning them slightly. I also created two genjutsu to go with these. I made the Plant Binding, which made the grass seem to grow up and around the legs of my enemies, holding them in place. The next was a Water Rope, which was the same as the Plant Binding, except it used water instead of grass. I figured out how to seal items as well in my second year, having asked Tenten how. I now carry five scrolls, four of them in my backpack instead of the bunch of poisons, and one in my kunai holster. The first four that were in my bag would carry the following: the first had my poisons with their antidotes in hypodermic form, the second my healing and restorative potions. The third had my bowls, hammers, knives, drip-pan, and recipes for my poisons, antidotes, and healing potions. The fourth carried my herb store. The fifth, the one in the kunai holster, had my emergency kit. So now, instead of carrying two kunai holsters on my hip, I only had one, usually.

During the year and a half I spent as a chuunin, other than making jutsus and potions, I also began leading groups of fellow genin on missions. We did mostly escort missions, but we did one that we had to carry information to another village outside of the Land of Fire. We did well on all of them, though we did almost fail the information mission. I did other odd missions here and there, none that were worth noting. I felt so very strange, taking the position that Neji or Gai-sensei had always been in, but I did my best. I will admit, my first mission as leader, I was so nervous that I had a slight paranoia about everything. I don't know how Shikamaru did it when we went after Sasuke, but I tip my hat to him. He's amazing. I still did missions with my old team, but they were a bit fewer in number.

I then went and took the jounin exam. By this time, Neji had already taken it and passed, stupid Hyuuga. I had been hoping to beat him, but oh well. I barely passed myself, and I began taking on the responsibilities of being a jounin. I went on more difficult missions, gathering information, spying on others, and more escort missions. I did less and less with my old team, though we did get together for the odd mission or two. Finally, after eight months of missions, the next batch of academy students passed, and I could get students. Where Neji was the youngest to become a jounin, I was the youngest jounin to be given genin to teach. I was given three students, two boys and a girl, to train. I left them instructions to meet me in training ground 7, next to training ground 6, where Team Gai trained, the day after they graduated.


	17. Teaching

Woo! Fun times.

Maia is the only character I own, because if I owned the rest, Sasuke wouldn't have been such an asshat.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen – **_Teaching_

I woke up the day I was to meet my students and got dressed in my new clothing. I wore a gray kimono-like top, with light embroidery on the hems of the sleeves. It extended to the middle of my thighs, where it had a split up to my hips. Then, I wore matching gray pants with the same light embroidery. At my waist was a gray kunai holster, to match the clothes. On back was a small bag, where I slid my four scrolls in easily. Generally these would be carried in a pack with the rest of my things, but I didn't need to lug that around today. I next tied my headband to the middle of my left thigh before pulling on my short gray gloves. These had little surprises in them. Over the two years I had trained, I learned to use senbons, since they were such wonderful little things to poison with. I had special gloves, which I had just pulled on, that I could touch a pressure pad at the base of either my pointer or middle finger of my hand, or both, and extend a razor sharp senbon coated in poison. The pointer finger held my paralysis poison, while the middle held a dizziness poison. My senbons I had to be careful with, since I couldn't mark which poison I'd put on them. So, I didn't use my Painful or Deadly poisons on them, but all else was fair game. These were also the poisons that could be dispelled by my Poison Removal jutsu. I had other senbons that attached to my arms, hidden by sleeves that tied just below my shoulder and extended to just touch the base of my fingers. They too had embroidery, and they had a small slit so that I could reach up them without difficulty. Finally, to top all of it off, I braided my now-ankle length hair. In the braid I added a spiked chord that would hurt the hand of anyone that grabbed my hair. I attached my canteen of water to my waist. I grabbed a fruit to eat, pulled on my black ninja sandals, and then walked out of my apartment.

I arrived at the training grounds ten minutes before I had been told the others would arrive, so that I could observe them. Gai-sensei – I still called him sensei, even though we were now equals – had instilled into my team that if we were late, we would be severely punished. I was still early to everything, even though I wouldn't be punished for being late to meet my own team. All three were already here. I scanned their faces, wondering who they might be. I was shocked to see that I had Hanabi Hyuuga as my genin. I recognized her from the times I'd been to Neji's home. Even if I hadn't, I could have easily figured it out, seeing how she had the pale lavender eyes of the Hyuugas. She was wearing a dark shirt and pants with a Hyuuga jacket over them, hanging unzipped. At her waist was a kunai holster, and on her feet were black ninja sandals. At her throat was the hitai-ate of Konoha.

The next one I looked at was a boy with short, spiky brown hair. He had a light orange shirt, over which was a brown shirt with a slight v-cut to show the orange shirt. He wore blue pants and black ninja sandals. At his waist, in lieu of a belt, he wore his hitai-ate. The second boy had a helmet with the Konoha hitai-ate symbol engraved in it. His chest was covered by a long sleeved gray shirt. In the center of it and at the hems of the sleeves was a yellow stripe. On both side of this stripe was an orange stripe, and to the sides of those stripes was a red stripe. His pants were a darker shade of gray than his shirt. Both of his legs, from the ankles to an unknown point under his pants, were covered with bandages. He had gray sandals and a kunai holster at his hip. Very well. Observations were over. I dropped down from the tree I had been in after a quick glance to the sky. I was just on time. They didn't notice me, since I didn't use a dramatic entrance like Gai-sensei. They were busy chatting amongst themselves.

"Hello." I called, walking a few steps towards them. The three parted to stand next to each other, Hanabi in the middle, to look at me. "I am Maia Haru, and I am now your sensei."

"Hello, Maia-sensei." They chorused together. I smiled lightly.

"Alright then. Now that you know me, my name at least, let's hear a little about you guys, alright? Please tell me your name, your goal, your favorite weapon, favorite form of fighting – as in ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu -, what you like to eat, and a fun fact about yourself." I instructed. "You're first." I pointed to the brown haired boy.

He smiled brightly. "My name is Nobori Sasaki. I want to become an ANBU black ops, and I like using kunais. I prefer fighting with taijutsu, but I'd really like to learn some genjutsus. I like to eat barbeque, and I'd do anything for my friends." I nodded.

"It's nice to meet you Nobori. Okay, now you, Hanabi." I smiled as she appeared startled that I knew her name. "Neji was my teammate." She nodded slowly.

"I remember you. Okay. Well, you know my name is Hanabi Hyuuga. I want to become a jounin so that I can teach genin, just like you are Maia-sensei. My favorite form of fighting is the Gentle-Fist, since I'm a Hyuuga, so it goes to show that my favorite weapon is my body. I like to eat bonbons, and I want to become just as strong as Neji-oniisan."

"Those are very good goals, Hanabi. Now it's your turn." I fixed my gaze upon the last boy.

"My name is Daichi Nakamura. I want to become as strong as possible, so that I can protect the village. I like using kunai and shuriken, and I'd like to learn to fight with ninjutsu. My favorite food is potato chips, and I can't wait to become a jounin."

"You all have very admirable goals and traits. I am glad to be your mentor." I paused for half a second, before continuing. "Now, I'm sure that you're wondering a little about my skills, so I'll tell you what I can teach you as of right now. If there's something you want to learn that I can't teach, be sure that I'll find the information I need. I am a poison master. This means I can do just about anything with an herb and make it into a weapon. This also means that you aren't allowed to touch this," I patted my kunai holster. "Or any of my scrolls until I've taught you about everything within it, so that you don't accidentally make yourself sick, give yourself any unnecessary pain, or die." I held their eyes for a moment. "Yes. I have a poison that can kill you. I have killed with it, but I won't use them in practice. I won't even use poisons period with you guys, the same as I did with Team Gai." I smiled reassuringly at them. "Gai-sensei, my old sensei, is a taijutsu master, and as such, taught us a lot of taijutsu, so I'm strong in that. I also know some ninjutsu and genjutsu, along with two healing-type jutsus. If any of you want to learn any of this – especially poisons – I can teach you."

"How many poisons do you have?"

"I only actively use nine, but I know many more. But we'll get into that later. For now, I want to see your skills as shinobi, alright?" They nodded their minds now on the task. "Your job is to take this," I held up a metal canister. "From me, and keep it from me for five minutes. You all may use anything against me. I will not use any poisons against you, so don't worry about that. You must complete this task within three hours. Go." I leapt backwards into the middle of the training clearing, while the other three leapt into the surrounding foliage. I listened, staring up at the sky, seemingly bored. I hooked the metal canister to my waist, where it was easily accessible and easily defensible. I glanced sharply to the side as I heard a noise. Three kunai were flying at me. I leapt over them, only to have to dodge again the instant my feet touched the ground as they threw some more kunai. They didn't have a lot of power behind them, barely making it to the other end of the clearing before hitting the ground. I'd have to rectify that. The three suddenly mobbed me. Hanabi came at me from the front, as I'd expect her to do as a Hyuuga. If I was correct, she already could use her Gentle Fist to close off chakra points in the body, so I'd need to be careful. The two boys came at my sides. I dodged backwards, pulling out two clean kunai as I did so. I blocked the two boys, lifting myself up and over Hanabi so that I could land behind her, giving her a light push with my foot so that she went sprawling forward. She recovered well and came at me again, throwing blows as quickly as she could. I dodged backwards and sideways, staying out of range of her dangerous hands. Then, I felt something at my waist, and the canister was gone, being carted off by Daichi. I grinned to myself. These kids were pretty good. I had no time to go after him though, since the other two were hounding me. I used substitution and leapt to the trees, where I hid for a moment, looking at them. Hanabi wasn't fooled for a moment, and she was instantly glancing around with her Byakugan enhanced eyes.

"There!" She pointed at my hiding spot.

"Good, Hanabi! But can you catch me?" I leapt away, towards where Daichi had gone. I heard leaves rustle and turned, tossing a kunai at the bush. Daichi scurried out, heading towards his friends. I glanced up at the sun. Almost forty five minutes in and they were already nearly done. Only five minutes left for me to get the canister. Now, we all knew that if I truly wanted that canister, it would still be in my hands. However, I had to go easy on my new students, and I was holding back immensely. Hanabi lashed out as I came into range. I ducked, swinging my leg to catch hers, causing her to fall. She landed on her butt and hurried to rise as Daichi passed Nobori, who threw three kunais at me. One had an exploding tag. I moved away immediately, and it soon exploded. Well, I had said anything goes, so I couldn't yell at him. Two minutes. Hanabi and Nobori formed a protective wall before Daichi. I ran at them, before dodging to the left and behind them. They had expected me to leap, something I'd been doing often. Daichi leapt back with a yelp, and I had to dodge hurriedly to avoid Hanabi's hands. Her second fist slammed into my right shoulder, deadening it. I stepped back, holding my good hand up. She ceased, still tensed in case I was just fooling.

"Very good. You've succeeded in getting the canister and keeping it from me for ten minutes." I congratulated them. They grinned at each other. "Hanabi, I see that you have a good grip on the Gentle Fist. That is good as well. Now, you all have pretty good teamwork skills for genin just out of the academy, so, while we will work on that even more, we won't have to focus on it nearly as much. Taijutsu is a must, for all of you. I will teach you other jutsus as we go along. For now, that's the end of this lesson, though I'd like you all to stay so I can show you my poisons. I will drill you repeatedly in these items. This isn't because I expect you to use them, but it's so that if an enemy gets a hold of one of my kunais and throws it, you know exactly what's hitting you and what the antidote is. I opened my pouch, pointing at corresponding kunais as I spoke. I explained each of the poisons, before pulling out my antidotes from my scroll, showing them how they had corresponding threads around them.

"If you are hit with anything that has one of these threads, call out to me. Say "Maia-sensei, it's…" and then yell the color. I'll know what you need." They nodded dutifully. "Very good. I believe we will end today on this note. Now, tomorrow, meet here at the same time you did today. Training is short today because I didn't expect you to be done in forty five minutes. Tomorrow will not be the case. I expect you three to become friends, as close as possible. The four of us are now a family of sorts. We will fight together, protect each other, sleep next to each other, and together we will either succeed or fail." I smiled at a memory I'd had of my genin days. "I remember that my teammates and I were so close, we didn't really care what the others did to use outside of mock battles. I had gotten hurt in the side, right here, and Lee, my teammate, came up with bandages and tugged my shirt up without a care that I was a girl." I looked over the three of them. "While I expect you to respect each other not to peak at each other's bodies, I do expect you to be ready to do the same as Lee did, without hesitation because you may be a boy and Hanabi is a girl, or vice versa. Understand?"

"Yes, Maia-sensei."

"Dismissed." The three left together, chatting amiably. The three were friends, at least, which was a good thing. I could tell by their relaxed stances. After they went out of sight, I wandered over to training ground 6, hoping to see one of my teammates. To my surprise, all three were there. I stood to the side, shyly, as if I were a stranger. Tenten spotted me and smiled.

"Maia! There you are; how are you?" The other two looked up. Lee smiled at me, and Neji smirked.

"I'm alright. I just got my genin team today."

"No way, they gave you a team already?" Lee asked as the three walked over.

"I asked for a team, and I guess they decided I was alright for one. Did you apply, Neji?" He shook his head. "I see. Sticking with our team a little longer." I smiled at them. "I'm gonna miss training with you guys."

"Oh, don't worry. We'll come visit you and your students. And you have to come train with us after, whenever you can. You have to stay in shape, you know, and sparring with genin won't keep you there." I nodded in agreement.

"Very true. Visit whenever you want to, so long as you don't scare away the students." I teased. "Oh, and Neji, Hanabi is my student, so whenever you're available, if you could help me out by showing me your fighting style?" He nodded.

"Of course, Maia. I'll find time to help you whenever I'm not on a mission or anything." I smiled gratefully.

"You're a life saver, Neji." He nodded.

"Well, I just finished with my students, and I thought I'd come train with you guys." I told them, and they nodded.

"Let's spar, Maia!" Lee said.

"Alright." I dug into my kunai holster and tugged out all of my poisoned kunais and set them on the ground at the base of a tree. Good thing I'd planned to work with my students, so I had a lot of unpoisoned kunais. "Let's do this." I turned to him, and he was halfway across the clearing. I walked across to take a position across from him.

"Go!" Tenten yelled. Lee was off, running straight at me. I waited until he was close before leaping over him, throwing kunai at him. When I landed, I jumped backwards to dodged a punch. I was pretty good in taijutsu, but I definitely was not as good as Lee, even though I was a jounin and he was now a chuunin. I formed hand seals.

"Leaf Blades!" All around me, chakra blades in the shape of leaves flew towards Lee. He threw up his arms to block his face, moving backwards, but they still hit him. I threw a handful of shuriken at him as I moved backward, the barrage ending. He deftly dodged them and came at me. I blocked his kick but took a punch, staggering backwards a few steps before ducking and dodging away from him. Geeze, he was fast. I formed the substitution hand seals, fleeing to a tree. I then formed the hand seals for Acid Rain, using the water from my canteen. I directed the water to fall on Lee, who tried to get out of the way. He avoided most of it, but he was still burned a bit. And then, to finish it off, I used Plant Binding, to make it seem that the grass was capturing him. While he knew it was a genjutsu, I had the advantage because I knew it was coming. I rushed him and tackled him from behind before sitting on his back as he dispelled the jutsu. My knees pressed his shoulders down, and a kunai was at the back of his neck.

"Good job, Lee." I told him as I helped him up. He grinned at me, before wincing.

"That rain of yours hurts, by the way."

"Here, you big baby. I'll heal you." I formed two hand seals before my hands turned green. I moved them over his burns and cuts, making him as good as new. For the rest of practice I fought against a practice dummy with my senbons, since I couldn't on my teammates. When the sun was lowering in the sky, my teammates and I left the practice area. Tenten and Lee split away to go to their homes, which was closer than Neji's and my own.

"Tomorrow, after I practice with my genin, could you show me the Gentle Fist?" I asked him as we walked along companionably.

"Of course." He responded coolly.

"Do you plan to take on a genin team?" I asked him, curious.

"Not really. I don't want to teach. What I want is to make it to ANBU level, ANBU captain if possible." I nodded.

"You'll make it there. You're one of the best, Neji. Me on the other hand, I think I'll stick with this new team for now. It's fun."

"I'm sure your team will be the best of all the genin."

"They'd better be, or Gai-sensei will probably yell at me." We came to where I had to turn off to reach my apartment.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." I said with a wave. He nodded and walked off towards the Hyuuga compound. I arrived home to find Ryu inside.

"You didn't want to train today?" I asked him, ducking into the kitchen to grab an apple.

"I didn't know where you were, and your teammates didn't know either." Ryu replied.

"I thought I told you I was getting a genin team, and that I'd be in training ground 7." He shook his head.

"You did say you'd have a team, but that's all I remember."

"Well, tomorrow is Saturday, so you can come with me to practice."

"Alright!"

I made dinner later, before going to work with poisons. We went to bed, and woke the next morning to get ready for training, which was to start at eight in the morning. I got Ryu up and got ready myself in the same way I did the day before. Once Ryu was dressed in his training clothes and kunai holster, I passed him some fruit and we left. We didn't rush to the training grounds, because we still had fifteen minutes to kill. By the time we arrived, my students were in the training grounds.

"Everyone, this is my younger brother, Ryu. He'll be training here under my eye as well."

"Is he part of our team?" Nobori asked.

"No, he isn't. He's getting his skills up for when he joins the Ninja academy on his birthday."

"Oh."

"Alright. Ryu feel free to work on whatever with those two dummies over there." I pointed. "If you need anything, just ask." I looked to my three students. "Now, you three, we're going to be working with taijutsu. This means weaponry, hand to hand combat, evasive maneuvering, and speed. We'll work with the last two today. You three are going to stand out there," I pointed to the center of the clearing. "And you're going to dodge whatever it is I throw at you. It won't be easy, but I'm sure you can do it."

"Yes, Maia-sensei."

"Then let's begin." The three walked towards the middle of the clearing while I emptied my pouch of poisoned kunais, setting them on the ground at my feet. I then scooped up a couple handfuls of rocks, putting them within my holster as well. When all three were in place, I grabbed a long stick on the ground and walked to them.

"One more thing." I drew a wide circle around them. "You can't step foot out of this circle." I threw the stick into the bushes to the side of the clearing and went back to where I was standing. "Alright. Let's do this." I started slow, throwing weapons directly at them, which they dodged easily. I slowly sped up. One was in the air at a time, then two, then three. I ended up running out of kunais and rocks by the time they were panting and sweating with exertion. I looked up at the sky. It was about an hour after we'd started.

"Alright. You may take a rest for a few minutes, then we're starting again from where we left off." They sat on the ground where they stood in the middle of the circle. I walked across the clearing and recovered my projectiles. I should have brought more, but there wasn't much I could do about that. As I bent over to grab a kunai, something hit the tree above me. I glanced up to see a kunai, and I spun to look around. Tenten was across the clearing, spinning another on her finger.

"You could have hit me." I called to her.

"Nah. You ducked, didn't you?" I shrugged, grabbing the rest of my weapons before tugging her kunai out of the tree to carry back to her.

"Come to visit me and my students?" I asked as I came closer to her.

"You bet." I smiled brightly.

"You're just in time to help me out then. I don't have nearly enough kunais today." She cocked an eyebrow at me curiously. "We're doing evasive maneuvering and speed training today."

"On their second day?" I shrugged.

"I think they can handle it. I'm not throwing fifty kunai at them at a time, just one to three at a time." Tenten laughed, before pulling out her weapon scroll. She used it to summon more weapons, which she had drop onto the ground. The genin stared at the pile in concern. I grinned.

"Alright, let's continue. We go until all the kunai and shuriken are gone." They didn't seem to terribly pleased, but they rose anyway. "Don't step out of the circle." With that, the game was on. Daichi ended up getting a kunai in his shoulder, and Hanabi took a shuriken for Nobori. Besides some other scrapes and cuts, they were in one piece by the time we were done, but they were ready to collapse.

"Go ahead and rest everyone." I walked to Daichi first. "This will hurt." I then yanked the kunai out, to which he winced, before healing his shoulder. "There." Then, I went to Hanabi, who had already tugged the shuriken out of her side. "It was very good of you, Hanabi, to have taken that attack for Nobori. You all must be ready to do that at any time during a mission, you understand?" They all nodded, and I healed her side. "Good. You all are dismissed for the day. Get some rest, and meet me here tomorrow, same time."

"Yes, Maia-sensei." The three rose and walked out of the training grounds wearily.

"I remember doing exactly what they were doing. They're probably cursing the day they met you, Maia." I laughed softly.

"Yeah, I know. At least I'm not crazy like Gai-sensei. I haven't even gotten to the warm up exercises. I'm just building up their muscles and endurance. We'll be playing other games like this every other day, probably, until I actually need help to continue them. We'll do taijutsu training tomorrow. It'll be fun." Tenten laughed.

"Fun for you, you mean?"

"Nah. They'll thank me later, just like we thank Gai-sensei now."

"True." The two of us walked over to training ground 6 with Ryu after we each gathered up our weapons. The two guys on our team were nowhere to be seen. "Guess it's just you and me today. And Ryu, of course." Tenten said.

"Yep. Spar, or separate training?"

"I'm not crazy like Lee. I'd rather do separate training than try to beat you, Ms. Jounin." I grinned.

"Just 'cause I'm a jounin doesn't mean you couldn't beat me. I mean, honestly, I took out those sound jounin as a genin."

"I suppose you're right, but I have a feeling that you'd beat me."

"Whatever you like." So, we trained separately, giving each other tips as we went. Neji arrived near the end of practice, so that I could watch him perform the Hyuuga's special fighting form: Gentle Fist. He slowed himself down so that I could watch what he was doing, explaining as he went.

"I constantly expel chakra from my hands when using this form. It takes a lot of control and a large chakra pool to do this. You'll want to work on that with Hanabi. It also takes a lot of speed to perform all of the attacks that go with the Gentle Fist, like the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms or Rotation." He threw punches at the dummy. "You'll want to make her study the body to get used to finding chakra points quickly, so that she can deaden limbs easily with a simple strike." I nodded, and he relaxed, dropping his arms to his sides and releasing the Byakugan.

"If you ever feel like showing up and demonstrating for Hanabi or just pull her aside at your estate, I'd be grateful. I'll talk to her tomorrow, but I'm not a Hyuuga." He nodded in understanding.

"Ryu, c'mon. We're gonna go home now." I called to him. Tenten had left sometime in the middle of Neji's demonstration. The three of us walked towards our homes in companionable silence. We parted ways, Ryu and I to our home, Neji to his.

Time passed quickly. I spent the first four hours of my day with my students, usually wearing them out to exhaustion by the noon. Every other day we did both speed and evasive maneuvering practice or some sort of chakra control practice. The other days we focused mostly on taijutsu. Neji came in one day to help me explain to Hanabi exactly what she was supposed to do in regards to the Gentle Fist style. I oversaw spars between my students, and Nobori began showing an interest in poisons. All in all, I thought it was a pretty successful bonding period.


	18. Crisis Situation

So sorry that I haven't updated recently! I completely forgot. . So sorry.

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen – **_Crisis Situation_

A month into training with the genin, I decided to watch them spar again, to see their skills. Nobori reminded me a lot of myself at his age. I had taught him how to make the two basic poisons I'd used in my genin days – paralysis and sleeping – and the healing potion. He ate them up, to my pleasure. I'd also taught him my Bloody Rose genjutsu, and he was better at it than I at his age. It didn't help that he had a larger chakra reserve than I had had.

Hanabi was coming along swimmingly with her Gentle Fist. The demonstrations by Neji, which he had done three times over the course of the month, had really helped. While her aim still needed work, and she needed more chakra control, she was doing pretty well.

Daichi was picking up very well in the taijutsu area too. Well, they all were, since it had been a focus, but he was doing better than the other two. He'd never give Lee or Gai-sensei a run for their money, but he'd be pretty dangerous with his body. I helped him learn some new Ninjutsu, one that paralyzes the target, and another that allowed him to escaping being hit by an attack. It was like the substitution jutsu, but without the clone.

Since the three were coming along so well, I deemed it was time for them to take on their first C-rank mission. At practice the next day, I told them that we were going on a mission. They all seemed excited, and I was glad for it. We still trained, but it wasn't as hard as if it were a normal day.

"Everyone, listen up!" I called to them, and they gathered around. "As you know, tomorrow we are leaving Konoha to do a mission. Now, I want you all to pack a few outfits, extra weapons and bandages, and food. We don't need any frivolous items on this trip, alright?"

"Yes, Maia-sensei."

"Good. Now, go pack. I expect to see you at the gate by eleven in the morning tomorrow." They left together, as usual, and Ryu I went to practice with my team, as usual. No one was there, so I supposed they were all gone on a mission. I practiced my taijutsu, going all out on a dummy, working myself into a light exhaustion. Now I would sleep well tonight. Ryu and I went home, where we both packed; me to go on a mission, and him to go stay at Tenten's house. Now, instead of the bulky pack I used to carry as a genin, I could pack much lighter since I had my scrolls. I put four changes of my outfit into the bag, along with two extra holsters of clean kunai. Then went the extra bandages, and after that were energy bars and some dried meat. Now, after only an hour, my whole pack was done. I then checked my poisoned weapons. I used so many that I decided to rely on two different kunai holsters, so that I could hold enough of all of them. In one holster I carried thirteen paralysis kunai, ten sleep kunai, seven dizziness kunai, and then five of both the nausea and shaking kunai. The second holster took ten of each of the pain kunai, delusion kunai, and the equilibrium loss kunai. Then, Ryu and I ate a light dinner and then went to bed.

The next day I woke up at eight and got dressed in my usual dark clothes, tying my headband around my thigh. I braided my hair around a spiked cord that went the length of the braid. I then pulled on my two kunai pouches, tucking my emergency kit scroll into one as I walked out of the room. On the table in the living room was my backpack – carrying all of my clothes, scrolls, and food – which I slid into place. I ate a quick bowl of cereal and a banana, pulled my sandals on, and then pulled my finishing items on. These were my senbon, hidden up my detachable sleeves, and my gloves, which held more senbon, tucked into my kunai holster. Then, I left, heading to the Hokage Tower.

I knocked on Lady Tsunade's door, and was met with an "Enter!" I opened the door and gave a slight half-bow in respect when I reached her desk.

"I'm here to meet the one my team and I are escorting to Sunagakure."

"Ah yes, that's right. The people you are escorting should be here soon."

"Pardon me, Lady Hokage, but did you say 'people'? I was under the impression that my team and I would be escorting only one person."

"No, Maia. You will be escorting three back to their home in the Suna." Her tone was firm.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." I replied, backing down. We'd just have to make due. I stood in the room a few minutes more before the three arrived to the room. It was a man, woman, and little girl. They obviously were a family. I smiled and greeted them, introducing myself. Once we were released by Lady Tsunade, I led them to the gate.

"Hanabi, Nobori, Daichi. Meet Akito Takahashi, his wife Kyoko, and their daughter Natsuki. This is my team that will help protect you until we reach Suna." They all nodded. "Are you three ready?" I asked my students, to which I received the affirmative. "Good. Let's get our passports and get out of here." We approached the jounin guarding the gate, who handed us our passports. I slid mine into my pack.

"Let's move everyone." We exited the gates, and I started directing my students.

"Hanabi, your Byakugan makes you my best choice to place on rear guard. You're to make sure no one can sneak up on us, alright?" She nodded, dropping back a few paces. "Nobori, you'll take left side guard. Daichi, you're on the right. I'll be in the front so that I can use hand signs to give you instructions if I need to. Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi, if you and your daughter could walk in the middle of our formation it will make it easiest to defend you." The three obliged me, moving into the middle of the formation. "Very good. This trip will take approximately five to six days to get us all the way to Suna, alright? With that being said, we need to utilize as much time during the day that we can so let so we should get moving." Our group began moving at my pace, which was a pretty good walking pace. There weren't any mishaps, which I hadn't expected, seeing how it was a simple escort mission. I set up a watch schedule before helping with the camp chores and falling asleep. I took my own watch and then helped with the camp clean up. The five days on the way to the Suna were similar, and there were no enemies that attacked us. We arrived in the hot desert city on the sixth day, where we delivered the family to the guards and went to the Kazekage Tower to meet with the Kazekage and report that we completed our mission in their village.

We were escorted by guards to the door, who announced us. Then, we entered, and I nearly took a big step back. The person sitting at the desk was no other than Sabaku no Gaara, the guy who'd injured Lee so badly years ago. Apparently the two had come to terms with each other, but I was still wary of him. I hid all my mistrust behind a façade though, since it was always unwise to show anything but a polite face towards your allies.

"Greetings, Lord Kazekage." I bowed to him as I reached the point halfway between his desk and the door. "My name is Maia, and my team and I have just finished our mission, which was to escort the Takahashi's to Suna. I was hoping to allow my team and I to rest for a day or two before we returned home to Konoha."

"Any Konoha shinobi are welcome in the Suna. We will extend our hospitality to you as long as it is needed. Your escort will show you to our guest rooms."

"Thank you, Lord Kazekage." I bowed again, and left with the escort, meeting up with my genin outside of the office. Then, we followed the two men to a building large enough to house the four of us.

"Thank you." I said to them as they left. They nodded their acknowledgement and closed the door behind them. I turned to the genin on my squad. "This will be our home for the next day or so. We're going to rest up and then go back home to Konoha. We should make it back home in about half the time it took us to get here." They nodded. It was late afternoon, and we were all tired and hungry. So, me being the dutiful jounin, I made us dinner. Then, we all went to go rest. However, our rest didn't last us until the next day, because a loud explosion woke us from our sleep. I was the first awake, being attuned to waking at the first sign of trouble. However, my students were soon rushing out, tugging on their kunai holsters. None of us had sleeping clothes, so we were all still in our fighting gear.

"Stay in here while I find out what's going on, alright?" I told them, heading to the door. I'd already pulled my scrolls onto my back, and my second kunai holster was in my hand, the other on my waist. I didn't wait for a reply, I merely opened the door before shutting it firmly, leaping to the roof of a nearby building.

A huge ball of smoke and sand was in the air. The explosion had come from up above. Something big was happening. When the smoke cleared away, there was a giant ball of sand in the sky. It had to be Gaara. And there was some guy on a white bird. However, it didn't look like he'd be there for long, since there was a giant clawed arm about to crush him and the bird. Then, there were two balls of sand in the sky - but one had some sort of explosion occur in it, and then there was sand falling - along with that guy from before. Seemed he pissed off Lord Kazekage. I didn't stay to watch what happened. Instead, I went back to my students who had followed my orders, staying in the room.

"Suna is under attack by some guy with explosives. We should go see what we can do to help our allies. Follow me, and follow my instructions exactly. Understand me?"

"Yes, Maia-sensei."

"Good." With that, I went out the door, the younger shinobi hot on my heels. In the time it had taken me to get to my students, speak to them, and exit, the man was back on a bird, being pursued by a ton of sand. The four of us moved along the rooftops, until I spotted a large group of shinobi, who were also watching the fight. I figured there was as good a place as any to go to see if we could be of any use. As we came closer, I recognized one man, and I sighed. It was Kankuro, the guy who had defeated myself and Lee in our separate Chuunin exams. Suddenly, there were people cheering. Gaara must have done something.

We landed near the edge of the group. Since the four of us were unfamiliar shinobi, we were given instant notice. The men were suddenly alert, tugging out kunai and getting ready to attack. I held my hands up, showing I wasn't going to attack.

"Easy there. We're leaf shinobi who arrived earlier today. We just wanted to see if there was anything we could do to help out." Kankuro glanced up at me, and after a moment, recognition gleamed in his eyes and he grinned.

"Well, well. We've met before somewhere, haven't we?" I grimaced at him.

"Yeah, yeah. You beat me in the exams a few years ago. Stupid puppet of yours got me."

"That's right."

"See, I'm no threat, and neither are my genin."

"Yeah, she's fine." Kankuro said, and the others relaxed slightly. "There's nothing we can do except watch, since the fight is up in the sky." I nodded.

"Then we watch and see what happens." We all turned our eyes back up to the fight in the sky. A man with binoculars suddenly spoke.

"A black cloak with a red cloud pattern. Judging by the garb that he's in, the enemy our Lord is fighting against is most likely a member of the Akatsuki."

"Yeah, I figured." Kankuro replied.

"Kankuro." A man murmured.

"Yeah, what is it?" He replied, glancing back at him. The man merely inclined his head to the sky again, before speaking. "Gaara has resorted to his ultimate defense up there. I think it's safe to assume this enemy he's facing up there is a serious threat. We can't rule out the possibility of Gaara losing control. The Shukaku could be unleashed. Our people will be in danger." Kankuro smirked.

"You don't have to worry about that. I know Gaara would never harm the people of this village. Not ever." People started cheering for Gaara, and I realized how changed things had become. People had feared him before, including myself and others of the Leaf, but now things were different. His people loved him. Then, things were a blur up on the rooftop. The man who was so afraid for Gaara losing control started to take charge.

"You," he pointed at a shinobi. "Go summon the council immediately."

"Yes sir!" The man left.

"And you, take two squads and secure the reservoir. Now!"

"Sir!" He took off.

"Go seal the roads in sector A." He pointed at a man.

"Yes sir!" They too were gone.

"There may be more than one enemy. Now, I don't care what happens, I want all of you poised and ready. Medical Corps, start setting up a barrier, and get all noncombatants inside of it on the double. I don't want to hear of a single casualty, is that clear?" Shinobi started running to do as he bid. "We're for you, Gaara. Yes! We're here for the Lord Kazekage!"

"Hang in there." Kankuro murmured. I tugged out my own weapons, getting ready for the fight ahead, and heard my team doing the same.

"What are your orders, sir?" I asked the man who had took charge. "My team and I are-" I paused, staring at what was coming out of the sky. It was a huge white statue-like thing.

"Everyone, get back!" The man yelled. Then, it started glowing a bright yellow, and I knew there was going to be something bad. I turned and shielded my team the best I could with my body as it exploded. When the noise finally ended, I listened to the loud silence, waiting for the screams of the injured to fill the air. I turned after checking to make sure the younger shinobi were okay. My eyes widened again at the sight. A huge wave of sand was defending the city.

"I expected nothing less from the Kazekage."

"Gaara did it." I breathed a sigh of relief, but all too soon. There was another explosion, right near Gaara. "Gaara!" Kankuro cried.

"No!" I breathed, unbelieving that they'd managed to hit him. The ball of sand looked solid, and we were all relieved again.

"Hmph. Gaara's ultimate defense can withstand much more than that detonation." The leader said.

"Lord Baki! Our attack preparations are now complete."

"Very well. You will launch the assault on my signal. Maia, stay ready to launch a response on my command."

"Yes, sir." Then, Gaara's sand exploded from within.

"Gaara!" Kankuro ran a few steps forward, as if that could help him.

"Lord Kazekage!" Some other shinobi cried

"No! It can't be! He broke Gaara's ultimate defense?" Baki was astounded.

"How on earth did he do that?" Kankuro demanded. The sand fell from the sky, and Gaara was soon suspended by nothing more than a little bit of sand. However, he was still conscious, since the sand started moving away from the village.

"What now?" Baki whispered.

"He's using every last bit of power to transport the sand safely outside the village. He's trying to save his people." Kankuro explained. "Gaara!"

"What do you men think you're doing?" Baki demanded. "We must save our Kazekage! Launch the attack!"

"Yes sir! Fire!" The men sprung into action. The first wave of arrows missed, and then a second wave of exploding ones went up, and the sky was alight with explosions and smoke. And still the sand moved, slowly getting away from the village hidden in the sand.

"Gaara! Come on, don't give up yet!" Kankuro said. And then, the sand fell just past a ridge. "He did it!" I exhaled the breath I had been holding. And then, Gaara fell from the sky. "Gaara!" Kankuro ran.

"Hurry, save the Kazekage!" Baki yelled. I ran after Kankuro, but where he paused, I continued. There was nothing I could do, though, when the enemy caught Gaara in his flying bird. I stared up at the enemy as he carried him away.

"GAARA!"

Another arrow flew at the enemy, trying to stop him.

"They might hit Lord Kazekage. Tell them to cease fire immediately!"

"Sir! Hold your fire! All unites cease fire at once!" A man boomed.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Another repeated, further down the line.

"What the devil is he up to now?" Baki asked. And then, he started to fly away.

"Don't tell me he's leaving the village." Kankuro stated in disbelief. "I'm going after him!" Kankuro exclaimed.

"Kankuro, no! Don't go by yourself. Wait for a backup squad!"

"By then he and Gaara will be long gone!"

"Alright, but don't engage until we catch up with you."

"Right, understood."

"Damn." Baki cursed silently.

"I'll go with him, Lord Baki." I said. He turned, having forgotten my presence. "You three stay here and follow Lord Baki's orders, understand? Protect the village." With that, I was gone, following after Kankuro. Four other men had met up with Kankuro by this time, and I sped up quickly to catch up with them.

"... can't let that guy get away." I caught the end of what Kankuro said.

"Right!" The men agreed. The bird was landing on the other side of the ridge.

"Wait, hold it."

"Why, what's the matter sir?"

"It's way too quiet. We have a whole squad guarding this entrance to the village. He landed right on top of them, we should be hearing the sounds of fighting. So, why is it as quiet as a grave? On top of that, they never replied to my message asking them to confirm their position. What's going on out here?" A man leapt on top of the ridge.

"L-Lord Kankuro!"

"What have you found?" He called back. We moved to the top of the ridge, to find that everyone was dead.

"What... what happened?" One of the men asked in disbelief.

"It's a bloody massacre." Kankuro replied, moving forward to feel for the pulse of one of the dead. "This didn't just happen now. It might've been before Gaara's battle started."

"There were ANBU black-ops in this unit." The man next to me muttered in awe.

"Their attackers must have heavily outnumbered them." Another offered.

"Or maybe not." Kankuro whispered darkly.

"What do you mean by that?" A third asked, confused.

"Never mind." Kankuro shook his head. "Forget about it. Whatever happened, the ones who took Gaara passed this way, and they're getting farther away each second. Let's move!"

"Yes sir!" We all chorused. We started moving forward.

"Here, sir, one of them is still alive!" He turned back for the man. Kankuro spun around to look.

"Wait! Be careful how you handle him!" The man lifted the injured shinobi off the ground. The injured mans' jacket opened to reveal a paper bomb.

"A paper bomb!" Kankuro called. I grabbed the men closest to me and tugged them backwards, away from the bomb. Then, I felt myself being shoved down, causing me to tug my men down, as the rock started to fall from above us, starting to collapse from the explosion. Then, I felt myself being tugged upwards and away, and then I was in the passage again, atop the rock.

"I was only able to save these three. They need medical help."

"I'm fine. The others, though, they'll need help." They had taken the full brunt of the blast as I'd yanked them backwards. I looked towards the others behind us as they spoke. Lord Baki was among them.

"What're you going to do?" He demanded.

"What do you think? I'm gonna bring Gaara back!" Kankuro yelled.

"Are you insane? Didn't you see what he did to Gaara? Do you really think you'll stand a chance alone?" Baki screamed back.

"What're you suggesting? That we just let them go?" Kankuro replied.

"No, of course not!" Baki said, consolingly. "We'll find out where his base is, and then assemble a large, fully equipped squad." Kankuro replaced his scroll into his carrier on his back.

"It's no use." Kankuro replied.

"Very well. Go on and follow them. But you're not to engage." Baki replied tiredly.

"I'll try. But no promises!" Kankuro leapt off the rocks.

"I'll watch over him, Lord Baki, don't worry." I jumped after him. There were tons of trails ahead of us. Kankuro spotted something though, and went ahead, lifting something off the ground.

"This is Gaara's sand."

"Then we'll follow it. Let's go, Kankuro."

"Right."


	19. Playing With Poison

Hey all, sorry for the late update! I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen – **_Playing With Poison_

Kankuro started running, following the trail that Gaara was leaving unknowingly, since he was fully unconscious when he was captured. I followed after him, unable to perceive the differences in the sand, since I wasn't familiar with the colors of sand as well as Kankuro, a shinobi of the sand. Kankuro stopped when the path diverged again.

"That way!" He started moving again, and I turned, having been searching for that imperceptible difference, for me anyway, and moved to follow after him.

We came within sight of the enemy as the sun was halfway over the horizon. Then, we came closer, and closer, and finally, we were close enough to make contact.

"I thought our orders were to follow, not to engage!" I whispered to Kankuro.

"It's too late for that." He replied to me, before yelling to the two ahead of us. "Hold it right there!" The two turned to face us. "We meet at last. Hand over Gaara, now!"

"Deidara, you go on ahead." The shorter one said, leaping into our path. Kankuro pulled out his scrolls, using all three at once.

"Are you two ready for a puppet show? Crow! Black Ant! Salamander! I'll say it again. Hand over Gaara, now!"

"The puppet master jutsu, eh?" The short one asked.

"I'm going on ahead. Enjoy the show." The one named Deidara said, beginning to fly away.

"Think again!" Kankuro launched one of his puppets at the man, and then something extraordinary happened. A long, white scorpion-like tail flew out and caught it, and it was from the man before us.

"I don't like to wait, or keep others waiting, so I'll make this short and sweet." His hat fell off, revealing five strips of black hair on a tan scalp. His lower half of his face was covered with a black veil.

"You moved as fast as Crow. I'm impressed." Kankuro said to the enemy.

"The spider needs to be as fast as the fly." The short guy said. Creepy.

"I remember now. This jinchuuriki is supposed to have a couple of siblings, and one of them is some kind of puppet master. That must be you, I guess. Your name is Kanturo, or Kamachi or something?"

"It's Kankuro!"

"And you, girl, you must be his sister. But where's your fan?"

"I'm not Gaara's sister."

He made Crow fall apart, launching it back at Deidara. The enemy knocked it down again.

"Forget about him. I'm your opponent. Deidara, quick gawking and get moving. You're in the way."

"Where are you going?" Kankuro demanded.

"Didn't you hear me?" The short guy lashed out. "I'm your opponent."

"Maia, go after him!"

"Yes sir!" I moved to the side, giving a wide berth to the enemy so that he couldn't hit me, moving after the guy on the bird. I didn't move wide enough, apparently, because the guy still managed to hit me with his tail. It sliced my stomach, and I could instantly tell that it was poisoned.

"Kankuro, be careful! He's a poison user!" I cried, pressing my sleeves to my stomach to staunch the blood flow.

"Let the puppet show begin!" Kankuro yelled, and he sprung into action with his puppets. I ignored the fight going on behind me. I could feel it circulating through my body, and I wanted to slow it as much as possible. I used my poison removal jutsu, but it didn't even slow the poison down. I healed my stomach so I wouldn't bleed out, and then tried to find a way to stop the poison. I tugged out my own antidotes to different poisons, downing them each. The deadly poison antidote felt like it made a slight difference, but it didn't stop it completely. The affects were still there, but they were going much slower than it would if I hadn't had all of these antidotes in my system. Kankuro had lost consciousness, but I was still awake when the reconnaissance team arrived. I could barely move or feel anything, but I was cognate of my surroundings.

"He's here! And his puppets are destroyed!"

"The leaf shinobi is here! She's awake!" He yelled, and then lowered his voice to a more conversational tone. "Are you alright?"

"Poison. I took some antidotes, but they aren't for this poison. They're slowing down the affects. I can move, but barely. He won't be able to do anything at all. We need to get to the hospital, and fast."

"Right." The two of us were lifted up and carried back towards Suna. I passed out during this time.

The next time I was aware, I was in the Suna on a stretcher. I was in excruciating pain, but I was able to move.

"Kankuro?" I whispered. The doctors were surprised to see I was awake.

"He's unconscious. We don't have any way to make an antidote, because we don't have the poison. We're afraid he may die, and you along with him." I winced at the news.

"Nothing?"

"No, nothing at all." I sighed and closed my eyes. So this was it. I was going to die by poison that I couldn't even attempt to counter. I gasped in pain as it stabbed at my chest.

"What's being done?"

"Our specialist is working on making an antidote, and we've sent for someone from the leaf to help us save you and Kankuro." I nodded, grimacing as the pain became more real to me.

"When our specialist arrives," I gasped out. "Don't let her help me. Kankuro will need it more, first."

"Yes ma'am."

"Good." With that, I fell asleep again.

On my next wave of consciousness, Sakura was there. I was unsurprised - I'd heard she was training under Lady Tsunade herself.

"Hey, Sakura." I said weakly. "Have you treated Kankuro yet?"

"So, you can still speak. Kankuro is stable for now. I'm here to help you now." I smiled shakily.

"I took a lot of different antidotes and potions when I was infected, so I'll last longer than he will, but only by a little. It might make the poison you draw from me unreliable." I started trembling from the pain my body was in. "Please, get it out of me." I whispered. She nodded.

"Let's begin. Hold her down." Oh great. This was going to hurt a lot.

Whatever happened next I can no longer recall, because my mind has put up a block against the excruciating pain that Sakura put me through to get the toxin out of my body. I became coherent again as Sakura started demanding things - a change in bandages on my stomach, an IV drip, a list of herbs - and being all bossy. I shuddered.

"Sakura." I whispered weakly. "In one of my scrolls, there's a ton of herbs. There isn't a list, but you're welcome to anything in there."

"Why would you- oh that's right. You're the poison expert of the village." I nodded weakly.

"I can't help you right now though, so it's all up to you, pinkie." She grimaced, and I grinned and fell back on the bed, waiting for her to save my sorry hide. "Oh, and Sakura?"

"What is it?"

"Save some of that poison for me. I want to replicate it."

"Sure thing." She scooped up my scrolls, took the list of herbs from the medical-nin, and left the room, following a second medical-nin so that she could prepare an antidote.

It was a few hours before she returned with a cup of the antidote, which I downed quickly with a grimace.

"You need to lie back and wait until the numbness passes." I glared at my limbs, which were indeed numb.

"Before you leave, can you send someone with my scrolls of herbs and poison making kits, along with some of the poison and the antidotes? I'm going to make more as soon as I can feel my hands again."

"You should wait until you're completely better before trying anything like that."

"By then you'll probably be outside of the village, fighting that poison guy. You'll probably need more of the antidote, which I can supply. Shoot, I can give you some poisons too, if you want them." Sakura sighed.

"I'll send someone with your supplies."

"Preferably one of my genin, please."

"Genin?"

"Haven't you heard? I lead a squad of genin now."

"Right. Sure, if I see one of them I'll get them to bring your things."

"Thanks." And then I was waiting again. Twenty minutes later, Naruto walked in with my things.

"You're here too?" I asked him. He grinned and set my things on the table. "Hey! Careful with those things! They're fragile!"

"Oops. Sorry!" He apologized, one hand behind his head. I sighed.

"Tug that table over here, so that I don't have to walk to get to them." He obliged, tugging it easily over to the bed that I was lying on.

"So, what're you doing here?" He asked me, leaning against the wall.

"My team and I were escorting someone to the Sand and were here when the Akatsuki attacked. My team is around here somewhere, helping out the Sand shinobi."

"Your team? I thought they were on their way from Konoha?"

"Huh? My team was already in Suna."

"Neji, Lee, and Tenten are already here? Why haven't I seen them?" Naruto demanded.

"No, no, no. I have a genin team that is here. Neji and the others are on their way here?"

"Yeah, the Old Lady is sending them to help us out." I nodded, a smirk on my face.

"Good. You'll need their help against these guys. Especially against that guy with the poison. He's got some crazy weird body. I didn't get a good look at him though, since I had been trying to just pass him and go after the other guy with Gaara. Obviously I failed."

"Don't worry. We'll save Gaara." I smiled.

"Good." I glanced up at him. "Thank you for bringing me my things. I'll start working on this as soon as I can. You should go rest."

"Yeah yeah, alright already." He grumbled. Obviously someone else had told him the same thing. It was another thirty minutes until my arms stopped trembling, and then another fifteen for full feeling to return. At that point, I lifted myself up and turned so that I could face the table of herbs. Sakura had even sent me a recipe for the antidote. How thoughtful of her. I pulled my bowl over to me and started mixing the ingredients to the antidote quickly. It was a very complicated antidote – I was quite surprised that she managed to figure it out so quickly. I finished a set and filled hypodermic vials with the solution. The amount was enough for three doses. Knowing that, I set out to create one more set. An hour and a half after I started, I had six antidotes on the table.

"Nurse? Is there someone out there?" I called loudly, hoping to get some sort of response. Two medical nin rushed in, as if they were fearing the worse. They seemed shocked to see me working at a table.

"You should be resting." One admonished. The other came over to look at my work.

"I was making antidotes for those who are to fight tomorrow. If you would please deliver these to Sakura, I would be very appreciative."

"Why were you making antidotes?" The one who'd come over asked curiously.

"I'm the Leaf Village's top poison expert. Since I was indisposed by the poison, Sakura came to help. She's quite talented as well, I'm glad to say." They nodded.

"We'll deliver these right away. You should rest now." I sighed gustily.

"Fine." I laid back with a huff as the nin pulled the table away from my bed, so that I wouldn't be tempted to work on more poisons. I closed my eyes, and after a few minutes of lying there, I fell asleep.

The next day I was awakened by light streaming into my face. I sat up yawning, before wincing. My stomach wound was _very_ pissed that I had been sitting up yesterday, and it was going to tell me all about it. Other than that, my body was actually feeling pretty good. Having started to counteract the poison with my own antidotes, with all the different properties within them, I was feeling almost as good as I was yesterday. I rose shakily from my bed, staggering a few steps as I got my bearings, before walking over to the table. I noted absently that my hair, which was normally braided, was let down. I sighed. Confined to a tight braid, my hair reached only to my knees, but let down like this, it brushed against my ankles. Not the smartest thing for a kunoichi, but I had a special hair accessory that made it possible. I braced myself against the strong wood for a moment before looking over the things. I wanted to be some sort of use, but in my state I was practically useless. I couldn't supply poisons – not when those who were leaving were almost definitely gone already – and they already had the antidotes I'd created. What in the world could I do?

Medical-nin who came in a few minutes later to check on me found me standing there in the same position – arms braced against the top, elbows locked, face turned down towards the ground with my hair actually touching the ground because of the positioning of my head, eyebrows scrunched in thought – and were immediately concerned.

"You shouldn't be up! Kankuro is still in pain and can barely stand to sit up!" One said, taking my elbow. The other came to my other side, trying to pull me away with the help of the other. I shrugged them off.

"I'm fine. Unlike Kankuro, I took about ten different antidotes right after I got poisoned, which slowed the process down immensely. I was still poisoned, but the effects weren't nearly as great. I expect that in an hour or two, I'll be good as new. Until then, I will be here, deciphering the properties that went into this poison. I want to be able to create it myself. It is most unusual from the more usual forms of poison, and I would like to duplicate it." The two medical-nins glared at my back – I could feel it. "Look, if it makes you feel better, bring me a chair or something. It's either that or letting me stand here, because the only way you're going to get me to stay on that bed with nothing to do is to knock me unconscious, because I'll break out of any stupid ropes you try to hold me down with." The first one sighed, and the second one grabbed a chair from across the room. I accepted it with a nod. "Thank you. If I were you, I'd give Kankuro this." I reached into a scroll, from which I pulled out a healing potion.

"What is this?" The second asked suspiciously.

"It's a healing potion. It will help restore his cells more quickly. I took two of those yesterday, which is why I'm up and about right now." I handed it to one of them. "Feel free to poke around at it and try to take it apart if you like, I don't care. Give it to him, or don't. He's your shinobi."

"I'll deliver it to him, Miss." The first told me. I frowned.

"Maia. My name is Maia, not Miss."

"Right. We'll get it straight to him, Maia."

"Good. Now, I'm sure you have more important things to be doing than talking with a belligerent patient like me, so I'll leave you to your duties." I grinned at their annoyed looks, but they left me to my work.

"Hmm…" I said aloud to myself. "Let's get started now, shall we?" I tugged my heavy gloves on, the gloves I wore whenever I made any poison that could dull my senses or potentially kill me, and pulled the poison sample Sakura had left me and started analyzing it curiously and cautiously. I'd already been dosed with this stuff once – there was no way I wanted to accidentally poison myself a second time.


	20. The Return

Sorry for taking so long to update! I've been distracted with the NaNoWriMo challenge [check my profile for the update!]. It's coming along smoothly so far, but I have a lot more to do before I succeed! Wish me luck!

Naruto and all the characters in this story - except for Ryu and Maia - belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty – **_The Return_

I left my room three hours later, having found myself halfway through the whole recipe of the poison. It was exhausting, picking my brain as I was to unlock the code within. I had a nurse show me to Kankuro's room. He was conscious and alone. I carefully, so that I wouldn't sit on my hair, took a seat near his bed and the nurse saw herself out.

"How're you doing?" I asked, facing Kankuro. He looked so very different without his makeup and eared-hoodie. I hadn't known his hair was a sandy-blonde, because it had always been covered by the hoodie.

"Tired. How come you're moving around?" He asked, turning his head towards me.

"I've been playing with poisons since I was a genin. The instant his poison hit my system, I knew it. However, I didn't have the exact antidote, so instead of waiting for an unfamiliar poison run through my veins, I downed as many of my antidotes that I could so that it would go slower. I slowed it enough that it didn't affect me nearly as bad as it did you. Did you drink the potion I sent you?"

"Yeah, I drank it. What was that?"

"It was a healing potion. I've taken two since I was poisoned, and I don't dare take anymore. I have so many anti-toxins in my veins right now that if I took anymore, I'd risk becoming sick. I'm surprised I'm not already sick. I think Sakura's method of extracting the poison had something to do with it." He nodded. "You should be moving around soon."

"That's a relief." I grinned at him, completely understanding.

"So; do you realize how different you look without that makeup of yours?" He sighed. I assumed someone else had asked the same question.

"It's not makeup! It's face paint!" Kankuro huffed. Then, in a more civil tone, he added, "I've been told. I don't see anything wrong with that." I shook my head.

"I wasn't saying it was bad; I was just making a statement. I didn't even know your hair was sandy-blonde until I walked in here today. I just thought I'd say something."

"I see. Well, I'll stick to my face paint if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all."

"And look at you, you're one to talk. How long is that hair of yours anyway?"

"It touches my ankles now."

"My paint, while it _is _different doesn't make it possible for the enemy to use something to their advantage!" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I use a special spiked cord that I braid into it." I made to stand up, but the exertions on my heavily-taxed body didn't let me. I sighed and sank back in the chair. "Guess I'm staying here." I covered a yawn with the back of my hand. "Do you mind at all?"

"Nope. Not like there's much I could do about it anyway, now is there?"

"You're quite right. Very well then, I think I'm going to nap. You might want to do the same – so that your body can heal faster."

"Yeah yeah." I leaned back in the chair and let my eyes fall shut.

I awoke to the sound of the door slamming open. I turned, curious, and saw Temari standing in the doorway, breathless. Kankuro was sitting on his bed, now dressed in his usual clothes. His face also had his _paint_ – makeup! – upon it, so she knew she'd been out for awhile.

"They've found Gaara! Follow me!" And with that, she left. Kankuro, at the sound of Gaara's name, was instantly alert and followed quickly. I rose from my chair with a slight stretch before I too was out the door. My muscles weren't happy, but they weren't about to collapse. Rest did the both of us some good, since Kankuro was going at a pretty good speed as well. My hair was still loose and flew out far behind me, but there wasn't much I could do about it. I didn't have a ribbon or a hair tie to pull it back with.

We ran a good distance across the desert, and once we were within sight of a pretty good sized crowd, Temari sped up to get there faster. The two of us sped up too, but she managed to get there first, shouldering through the crowd, who had just started to cheer. I saw people crying, hugging, and laughing in relief. Apparently Gaara had survived. When we managed to get to the clearing around Gaara, Temari was kneeling before Gaara who was sitting up in front of Naruto. Behind them I could see Team Gai and Kakashi.

"You caused a big fuss." Naruto said to Gaara with a grin.

"I'll say." Kankuro ditched me to walk towards his brother. "You had me worried, little brother."

"Who do you two think you are?" Temari demanded. "Gaara's the Kazekage! Show some respect, you lowlifes!" She then shoved Naruto out of the way to speak to Gaara. "Gaara, how do you feel?" To answer, he tried to stand, but couldn't muster the energy. "You shouldn't start moving around yet." Temari protested. "Your body is still very stiff."

Two girls started chattering at each other about Gaara and how wonderful he was. They exclaimed how they'd protect him, and shoved me forward. I stumbled and nearly fell, but Temari caught me as she turned to stop the two girls from passing. I moved from her and turned, shoving the girls, who were trying to look at Gaara, away.

"Leave him alone, you empty-headed fools. He doesn't need you crowding him." I growled. They just gave me a glare that even Gaara would envy and I sighed. Idiots would be idiots. I turned to see Kankuro and Naruto talking to each other, leaving Temari to defend Gaara. I was too tired to argue with them.

"You should thank that old lady over there, not me." I glanced over to a woman who was held in Sakura's arms. She looked like she was sleeping, but I could tell that her chest wasn't moving. She was definitely dead. "She saved Gaara with an incredible medical ninjutsu. She's passed out now, but she'll come around when we get back to the village-"

"No. You're wrong." Kankuro interrupted him. Naruto looked, as always, confused.

"I'm wrong? About what?"

"It wasn't medical ninjutsu. It was a life-transferring technique. Elder Chiyo is dead." Naruto looked shocked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto demanded.

"It's a ninjutsu that allows you to bring back the dead, in exchange for your own life." Kankuro explained.

"No way!" I heard Tenten gasp. I looked up towards my teammates. Lee and Gai-sensei wore identical expressions of calm, while Neji looked down slightly. Tenten looked slightly shocked.

"Many years ago, the Puppet Brigades were conducting research on how to bring their puppets to life. Elder Chiyo was in charge of it. They were able to figure out the theory behind it, but, in the midst of their research they decided it was too risky. They made it illegal to conduct the research on humans and forbade anyone the technique." I turned my gaze from my team to the old woman in Sakura's arms. She spoke softly to the man behind her as tears streamed silently down her face.

"Naruto, you really are a strange person. You have the power to change people. Elder Chiyo was always saying that she didn't care what happened to the village. She wasn't the type of person who would do this for Gaara."Temari said quietly to the blonde-haired annoyance.

"Elder Chiyo has placed the future in yours and Gaara's hands. A splendid end, befitting a true shinobi." Kakashi added.

"Just like the Third." Naruto declared.

"That's right." Kakashi agreed.

"I really understand how she felt now." Naruto said, almost to himself. A gasp.

"Gaara-sama!" One of those brainless girls was standing over Gaara, trying to help him as he began to rise, but he waved her off. Good for him. He almost fell over, but Naruto grabbed his arm and helped Gaara all the way up, before releasing him. He looked at Sakura, who, after a long moment, looked up towards him.

"Everyone, pray for Elder Chiyo." Gaara whispered, but everyone heard him. I closed my eyes and bowed my head, paying my respects for the woman who'd given her life to save the Kazekage. After a long moment of silence, we all made our way slowly home. Naruto and Kankuro helped Gaara, who was still weak after being revived, and four shinobi carried Elder Chiyo on a stretcher. I fell back until I was among my teammates Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Gai-sensei.

"What are you doing here, Maia?" Neji asked from next to me as we made our way back to Suna.

"I was on a mission with my team to escort a woman to Suna. The night we arrived was the night Kazekage-sama was abducted. I went with Kankuro to try to save him, but we were both felled by some creepy guy with a nasty poison. I'm planning on replicating it. Anyways, I was in the hospital up until I arrived here. My genin are still somewhere in the Sand-village, along with all my things." The male nodded.

"And what are you guys doing here?" I asked, curious. I had known they were coming, but I didn't know why.

"We were sent as backup for Team Kakashi." Tenten's voice replied from behind my left shoulder.

"I see." With all the shinobi, we managed to get back to the Hidden Village in the Sand in about thirty minutes – since we slowed the pace for Naruto to help Gaara along. We were greeted with all of the Sand shinobi and villagers grouped outside of the village. They cheered loud enough that we could hear them from a good distance away.

"That's what I call a warm welcome." Kankuro said.

"Oh yeah." Naruto agreed.

"Look at how many people there are." Lee added in amazement.

"Just what you'd expect for the Kazekage." Neji told him.

"No doubt." Tenten agreed. I merely nodded as people started running to come join us. We were forced to stop as they reached us. Lord Baki forced his way to the front.

"I am happy you are safe."

"Thanks to these people." Gaara told him.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I thank you." Baki said.

"Huh? I'm not the one who… I mean, I hardly did anything at all, really." He admitted.

"Lord Kazekage, your people are waiting to welcome you home." Baki told him. "Go, lead the way." The large mass split before him.

"Alright then, shall we go?" Naruto, Kankuro, and Gaara took a few steps forward.

"No, wait. Not yet." Gaara declared, looking , back over his shoulder towards Elder Chiyo.

"Yes, you're right." Temari agreed.

"Let us honor the memory of Lady Chiyo. A moment of silence." Lord Baki called out, and everyone bowed their heads as the four shinobi, accompanied by Sakura and Lady Chiyo's brother, walked through the part.

"I'm going to go get my things from the hospital. Do you think you could find my genin, Neji? You'll find them faster than I can." He nodded. "Thanks! Tell them to meet me in our guesthouse." With that, he used his Byakugan to look around, and I headed towards the hospital. I went to my room, where all my things were. I got a brush from a nurse and tugged it through my tangled hair. Once I'd finished and had braided it around the cord, I packed my things into their appropriate scrolls. I carefully sealed the poison I was working on, along with all the instructions I'd gotten through so far, before tucking it into its scroll. I glanced around to make sure I had everything before sliding the scrolls onto my back. I tugged the two holsters on, tied my hitai-ate to my thigh, and then checked out.

I found my team in the guesthouse.

"Neji-oniisan told us you'd find us here. He also said that Team Gai and Team Kakashi would be leaving soon, and said that we should come too." I nodded.

"Thank you, Hanabi. We will be leaving as soon as you all are ready, so get all your things ready to go." I announced.

"But, Maia-sensei, are you okay to travel? I heard you were in the hospital." Nobori asked. I shrugged.

"I was poisoned by an enemy, but I managed to counteract parts of it. Sakura got the rest out and gave me an antidote. That, coupled with two healing potions, and I'm good as new. My stomach wound isn't even that bad anymore." I told them. "I'll be fine to travel. Be ready."

"Yes, Maia-sensei." They chimed.

By the end of the hour, my team and I left the guest house with all of our things. I was in a clean outfit – I'd been stuck with the same dirty one I'd arrived in the day Gaara was taken – and I was quite content. We met up with the other teams, and we found our way to Lady Chiyo's grave. After one last moment of respect for the lady.

"Everyone, say your farewells." Kakashi ordered. My team bowed their heads along with the rest of us, and then, after a minute, we turned to leave.

"Let's go." Gai-sensei said.

"Right." Lee agreed. All of us, except for Naruto and Sakura began to leave. We turned back to look at them.

"Sakura! Naruto! We really should be going!" Lee called.

"Right!" Naruto yelled back, and turned to come with us. Sakura stepped forward to touch the gravestone, before joining back up with us. We made our way to the entrance, where we said our goodbyes to Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari.

"Well, so long." Kankuro said.

"Uh, yeah." Naruto agreed. He and Gaara stared at each other for a moment. "I guess this is where people are supposed to shake hands and get all choked up, but I've never been very good at that either. So let's just leave it-" He stopped when he saw Gaara offering his hand to shake. After a long moment, Naruto clasped hands with Gaara, and they shook. On closer inspection, I could see the sand particles swirling around their joined hands. The eleven of us left then, heading back home to Konoha. Gai-sensei was supporting Kakashi. The two were lagging behind the rest of us.

"Can't you two go any faster?" Tenten demanded, looking back at them. "Hurry up, will ya?" A cry from Kakashi made us all look backwards.

"What happened?" Neji demanded. Kakashi was now on Gai-sensei's back, and Gai's pack was on his chest. What in the hell was wrong with these people?

"What the-?" Lee was confused. "I get it! A training exercise!" Lee was now excited.

"So, you wanna see faster? I'll show you faster!" Gai-sensei yelled, and then ran past us. "Make way, make way!" I felt bad for Kakashi. "What's wrong, slow pokes, can't keep up with me? Let's go!" He seemed so happy now. So weird. Lee stood with his backpack on his chest, leaned over slightly.

"Neji…"

"Forget it!" Neji growled. I laughed. I couldn't help it. This earned me a glare from Neji, but whatever. His face had been too funny.

"Come on, you guys." I called. "We'd better get moving or we'll never get home."

"Right." The nine of us followed after my crazy sensei and the poor guy on his back.


	21. Easy Times

I'm such a naughty, naughty author. I've been _trying_ to update once a week, but I'm failing miserably at that. I literally told myself all last week "you need to go update" and then I'd tell myself "I'll do it later" and now look where we're at. Over a week since an update. My baad.

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One – **_Easy Times_

The next week I found myself in the Hokage Tower, standing before our Lady Hokage.

"You wished to see me, ma'am?" I asked politely, curious as to what I was doing here. I hadn't signed my team up for any missions yet, and as far as I had heard there had been no crisis recently.

"How is your stomach, Maia?" She asked, ignoring my question. I unconsciously laid a hand to rest where the wound had just finished healing at.

"It's fine, Hokage-sama. The wound is just about completely healed."

"Good, because you need to be in top shape for this next mission."

"Mission? I didn't put in a request for my team to begin a new mission." I protested.

"This is not a mission for your genin team to take part in, unless you're sure they're capable of taking on a B-rank mission." I looked at her, thinking of my team.

"Will I be performing this mission alone, then, if I cannot take my squad with me?" The woman before me shook her head.

"No. I was going to have you lead your old team if your current one can't take the heat." I'd been with my genin for seven and a half months now. They were pretty strong, and I was thinking of letting them try out for the next chuunin exam, which was in three months. Hanabi was great in her use of the Gentle Fist style coupled with the Byakugan, and the others were pretty talented too. Nobori was skilled in his use of poisons and could use my own genjutsu, Bloody Rose, much more efficiently than I ever could at his age. Daichi was using some pretty strong ninjutsus, and all of them were quite powerful in the area of taijutsu. They were quite fast and very strong, which was something I had drilled into them constantly.

"I believe that Team Maia is capable of a B-ranked mission, Lady Hokage." I said after a long moment.

"Very well then. You will leave tomorrow to the Land of Fire's Port City with Amarante Naruhito and her two five year old twins, Haruhi and Haruki. From there, you will escort her to her home in the Land of Waves, to her husband in Kirigakure."

"I don't understand. This is a simple escort mission – why is it B-ranked?"

"Lady Naruhito is the wife to one of the advisors to the Mizukage, and so she is a fine target for any assassins."

"Why is Lady Naruhito in the Land of Fire?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"She was visiting her family, who originated in our Lands." I nodded.

"Very well then. We shall meet her where? Here? Or at the gates?"

"You and your team shall meet the lady and her children here."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." I replied. "Is there anything else, my lady?"

"No, Maia. Be careful, and bring back your genin safe."

"Yes Lady Hokage." I told her, bowing slightly before exiting the room. I had to get back to my team, who I had left training alone when the summons reached me.

It didn't take long to reach them. I found Nobori making poisons in the shade of a tree, while Daichi and Hanabi were sparring.

"Freeze!" I called. Everyone stopped; Daichi, who had been about to throw a kunai, dropped the kunai to the ground while Hanabi lowered her hands to look at me with Byakugan-enhanced eyes. Nobori stilled his hands, looking up at me. I smiled. "We have a new mission, everyone."

"What is it?" Daichi asked, excitedly interrupting me. I raised a hand to silence him.

"It is a B-ranked mission. Hey!" I clapped my hands together as Daichi and Nobori cheered. Hanabi looked quite pleased as well, though she was much less vocal. They had all been dying to get a higher ranked mission than a simple D- or C-rank. "Be quiet you two. Now, our mission is to escort Lady Amarante Naruhito and her two five year olds Haruhi and Haruki. We are escorting her to her husband in Kirigakure, who is one of the Mizukage's advisors. You have the rest of the day to pack anything you think you will need for this trip. It will probably be a month or so before we return home, since we have to travel by boat part of the way as well. Nobori," I pointed at the boy. "I will carry your herbal supplies, along with vials. After this mission I will teach you how to make the seals that I make. You will need your own bowls and other such implements. Meet me in the Hokage Tower at nine a.m. sharp tomorrow! You are dismissed." The three left after Nobori had packed up. I would get my things together later – I still had a good couple of hours, and I had a store of kunais prepped already. Now that I was a jounin, missions were sprung on me without hardly any notice, and so I'd learned to be prepared well in advance. So, instead of going home, I headed to training ground 6, where Team Gai would be training. Indeed they were. Lee and Neji were sparring, while Tenten watched. I moved to stand next to her.

"Hey Maia, what's up?" Tenten greeted, cheerfully.

"My team just accepted its first B-ranked mission. We're escorting the wife of an advisor to the Mizukage home. It's going to be loads of fun. Assassins, bandits, the occasional wild animal or two; my team was so excited, but I bet they won't be able to wait until it's over." Tenten laughed softly.

"I remember when we were like that. At least they'll put forth their all."

"That's true. I just thought I'd let you know, since it means I have to dump Ryu at your place again."

"Oh, don't worry, Mom doesn't mind. She loves the boy as if he were her own son. She's going to be quite disappointed when he becomes a genin and can stay home by himself."

"He's growing up. She'll understand."

"I hope so. She'd better not get all weepy and stuff. She can be so overdramatic sometimes." I laughed.

"Oh, you'll survive." I glanced up at the sun. "I do need to go pack, though. Tell the others my news, will you?" She nodded.

"Good luck and come back safe." She called after me, and I nodded dutifully before going home, where I found Ryu.

"You weren't on the training ground today." He said accusingly. I smiled at him.

"Sorry, sorry. I had to dismiss my team early today. We were assigned a B-rank mission today."

"Well, you weren't here either."

"I had to tell Team Gai, now didn't I?" I countered, my tone still gentle as I moved over to my poisons desk. I pulled my scrolls off my back and opened and unsealed the first, revealing a large bag. I opened it and pulled out the racks of tubes from within to examine them. There were nine racks of six tubes. Three copies of the main poisons I used: paralysis, deadly, sleeping, pain, delusions, dizziness, nausea, loss of equilibrium, and shaking. These were sealed with special corks that had brushes imposed on the other side. The cork wouldn't let anything seep out, and I could pull them out and use the brush from the inside to reapply poison to my kunais. The other three tubes on each rack were antidotes, which had a hypodermic needle covered by a cap on the end, instead of a cork-brush, so that I could use them easily. Happy with what I saw, I replaced each into the bag. I was tempted to bring the poison I'd learned from that Akatsuki goon, but I determined it was too horrid for this trip, though I did pack copies of the antidote, to be safe. I'd broken the poison's code two days after I'd returned to Konoha from Suna.

I resealed the large bag of poisons and antidotes away before unsealing the second scroll, which held my healing potions. There were ten potent healing potions that were sealed with corks and ten with hypodermics. Then, five of the lesser healing potions with corks, and five with hypodermics. None were cracked or broken in anyway, so I replaced them in their places. Since it was a pretty good sized bag for such few items, I also used this as a medical bag. I tucked in four large rolls of bandages, two on either side of each rack so that they would be evenly spaced. Then, a small sack of soldier pills and three holsters of weapons, one for kunais, one for shuriken, and one for senbon; all clean. I resealed this bag back into its place in the second scroll. I gave a cursory glance to by poison tools, just making sure they were clean and unbroken before replacing them. I pulled the fourth scroll out then and grimaced. I needed to restock a lot of the herbs, having relied on this scroll the most in Suna. I made a list – a long one – and set it on the table next to the scroll, which had been resealed. I finally moved to the fifth scroll, which held a little of everything I ever needed.

There was a single copy of each poison and antidote, including the one from the Akatsuki man, in a nice little rack. A single holster of the three weapons I use – senbon, kunai, and shuriken – along with another roll of bandages was next to a coil of wire. Finally, I placed some energy bars, soldier pills, and healing potions inside and sealed it off. I never really expected to use this scroll, but if the unlikely event where I was separated from my four other scrolls occurred, I wanted to be prepared. I replaced all my scrolls in the bag before calling out to Ryu to let him know I was going shopping for herbs. That took an hour, since I had to go to four different stores to get all the herbs, and then I needed to seal them. Finally I returned home, just as the sun was going down. I quickly went to my room to finish packing. I only needed to put clothes and food into the pack, so I had plenty of space, unlike what poor Nobori had. Well, I had to rough it like him too. I made tight bundles of clothes – one kimono top, one pair of pants, and a pair of sleeves each – to conserve as much space as possible. I made seven of these bundles, taking up most of the space in the pack. I filled the rest of the space with dried meat and fruit, little balls of noodles and herbs which made tasty stews, and energy bars.

I set the pack by the door. I saw Ryu's there too, already packed and ready to go for Tenten's house. I heard noises in the kitchen, and I knew without looking he was in there cooking. Tenten's mom had taught him that, for which I was quite grateful. Some days when I was in Konoha I couldn't take time to cook and he'd saved me the trouble. So, with the problem of dinner off my chest, I went back to the poison desk again. I pulled my gloves off my hands and carefully pulled out all the senbons from their positions to place different ones in. These were more recently poisoned, and so I wanted the fresher batch with me. That done, I switched out all of my poisoned kunais as well. I ended with thirteen paralysis kunai, ten sleep kunai, seven dizziness kunai, and then five of both the nausea and shaking kunai in my first holster. The second holster took ten of each of the pain kunai, delusion kunai, and the equilibrium loss kunai. Finally, I replaced the senbon in the hidden compartment up my arm. With a nudge from my chakra, these razor sharp needles would slide down my arm and land between my fingers, where I could either throw them or stab with them. They were all poisoned, and depending on which arm I used depended on the poison. I used only paralysis and sleeping poisons with my senbons, so that I didn't need to guess at what poison was in the system of whomever was hit with them. The enemy still had time to throw the needles at someone else before the poison made them fall, so it was easier and safer this way.

By the time I was done, Ryu had served and eaten half of his dinner. My food was still warm, and we had a quite, companionable dinner.

"Don't forget to train while I'm gone. You can always go to training ground 6. Tenten, Neji, or Lee will watch over you. Keep your grades up and don't annoy Tenten's mom."

"I will. Of course. Yes, Maia." He responded, and I grinned at him.

"Alright, go get some sleep. I'll see you again in awhile, alright?" I messed up his hair, and he grimaced, batting my hand away playfully.

"Hey, cut it out! I'm going, I'm going!" I watched as he went to the bathroom, sighing as a morbid thought entered my head. Well, it always entered my head whenever I was going to leave the village on a mission. I always wondered if it would be the last time I'd see the people here, and then I'd wonder what would happen to Ryu if I were to perish in the field. I then shook my head and forced happier thoughts into my head. Once Ryu was safely in bed, I followed suit and was soon asleep.

The next day I got dressed in my usual attire. Then, I added my hidden senbons to my wrists, pulled my gloves on, and then brushed my hair before braiding it with the spiked cord. I added a second one into my pack, in case this one broke. After eating a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, I shouldered my pack, tied my hitai-ate to my thigh, strapped the scrolls onto my back, and grabbed both of my kunai holsters with one hand, grabbing my fifth scroll with the other. I tucked the scroll into the holster with the more deadly and painful poisons, before placing that holster further along my waist than the other, so that when I went for a weapon, the first thing I grabbed wasn't something that would kill. I left, locking the door behind me, and rushed to the Hokage tower. It was later than I thought.

For all my rushing, I still arrived five minutes before nine. My students all stood there ready with their packs. I smiled at them before knocking on the door. When we were called in, I ushered them in before following after them to close the door.

"Team Maia, welcome. Lady Naruhito and her children have just arrived. Shizune will be bringing them here in a moment. You are to protect these three with your lives. If they don't return home to the Land of Water safely, our village will be placed in a compromising situation. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" My three students replied. I nodded solemnly, turning as the doorknob shook, announcing that people were entering. It was Shizune with the woman and her children.

"Team Maia, please meet Lady Amaranth Naruhito and her children Lady Haruhi Naruhito and Lord Haruka Naruhito. Lady Amaranth, these shinobi will escort you to your home."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." The woman said gracefully. She was dressed in a sensible kimono for travelling. It was split up the sides so that she could run if she needed to, and her sandals were strong enough for a long period of walking. The two children were in shorts and shirts. They'd probably end up being carried most of the way, which was fine with me. It was easier to protect something you were carrying.

"I am glad to make your acquaintance, My Lady." I replied, bowing slightly to her.

"Please. For this trip, call me Amaranth. We'll be in close quarters, and all this My Lady nonsense will get very tiresome." I grinned to myself. She was quite sensible indeed!

"As you wish, Amaranth." I replied graciously. "My name is Maia, and I am the leader of this squad. My teammates are Nobori Sasaki," He bowed slightly. "Daichi Nakamura," He too, bowed. "and Hanabi Hyuuga." She went to curtsy, realized she wasn't in a kimono, and smoothly changed into a bow.

"Now that you are all introduced, I believe it is time to be on your way. Team Maia, you are dismissed." Lady Tsunade ordered.

"Yes, Lady Hokage." We chimed, and then I ushered everyone out of the room. We exited and headed towards the gates, where we found a small wagon with their things. It was drawn by a single horse, who looked strong enough to carry more than the small wagon. Good. We may need to run.

"First things first." I said decisively, leading the horse to the side, so that we didn't block the gate. "Amaranth, please fill this bag with a change or two of clothes for yourself and your children, and then fill the extra space with as much food as you possibly can." I handed her the saddle bag from the horse. It sat behind a light pad that served as the saddle. If worst came to worst, we could throw Amaranth upon the saddle and unhitch the horse so that it could run while the rest of us carried ourselves and the children. Once the woman was finished, I firmly attached the bag to its appropriate place.

"Can you ride a horse, Amaranth?" I asked her.

"A little." She admitted, looking at the horse.

"Hmm…" I assessed our group. "If there is the need for you to ride the horse, Daichi will ride with you." All shinobi had basic training with all animals. "He's the best with animals of those among us. He will keep you in the saddle and the horse moving away from enemies, which is all he'll need to do. We'll find you, no matter where the horse goes. The rest of us will carry the children away." Amaranth looked stricken. "This is only for the worst case scenario. We probably won't need to ditch the wagon. I just want you to be prepared." She nodded slowly. I looked at my children. "All of us, except for Hanabi, will take a turn at driving this wagon. Hanabi is our best lookout, and I will be putting her skills to the best use." I looked to Amaranth. "I would rather you and your children were not within the wagon there. There is only one way to get out, and if it were to catch fire or explode, everyone within would be trapped. Your children are welcome to be carried or ride next to the person driving, however." The wagon was indeed a rolling deathtrap, but it was all we had. "Now, there is one last thing before we leave." I pulled out radios from my pocket. "We're on wavelength two. Keep these on at all times, in case we get separated, alright?"

"Yes, Maia-sensei." I smiled.

"Good. Let's get our passports, and we'll head out." The guard handed my team the passports. We were heading out of country, so we definitely needed them. Amaranth and her children already had theirs. Daichi took his place as the first driver, and we headed out. Amaranth and her children elected to walk for this first part. Hanabi walked behind the wagon, so that she could easily see around it. Nobori was to the left, and I was on the right, next to our companions. Around noon we stopped for a quick lunch, where Nobori and Daichi switched places. Since Nobori was within earshot, I struck up a quick conversation with him.

"How many of each poison did you bring with you?" I asked him curiously.

"I have fifteen of each of them, along with five clean ones." I nodded.

"Good. Depending on how this goes, I may pass out some different poisons to you." Nobori looked mildly concerned. I'd never offered to give the others poisons, and even for him I'd only taught him two that he had to make himself. I smiled.

"At difficult times I gave my old team poisons. Mind, I didn't have the variety I have now, but I did share. Teammates share what they have, and I will definitely share whatever I can to give you an edge over the others."

"Really? You trusted the others with poisons?"

"Of course. If you can't trust your teammates, you can't trust anyone. I taught them, as I taught you, what to look for and how to use them to get the maximum use out of them. The mission that ended in my adoption of Ryu, I gave my teammates more poisons than I ended up using myself." Nobori nodded. I stepped back to walk next to Amaranth. We had a conversation on the economical differences between our two countries, but that was it. As it reached three, the children tired and we stopped the wagon so that they could climb up. I took my turn at driving at that time as well. The two fell asleep on me, one on either side, and I made sure to steady them so that they didn't fall off. That night I set up a watch schedule and assigned chores over dinner. The three we were protecting stayed near the fire, while we stayed just outside of that area, so we could watch them best. It was the only peaceful day of the mission.


	22. Painful Decisions

Man, we're getting closer and closer to the end of the chapters I already have prewritten. -is falling behind- We're getting to good stuff, so your patience will soon be paid off! Just a little longer! Naruto doesn't belong to me, sadly.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two – **_Painful Decisions _

It started around noon the next day. Nobori was driving the cart when Hanabi called for us to be alert. A group of travelers were coming up along the road. We met with them about ten minutes later – we moved to the side, keeping our wards out of sight – and surveyed the people. They seemed alright. We got back on the road, and it wasn't even a minute before Hanabi cried out. She had a kunai in the shoulder – she hadn't looked to check on the travelers. There had been four of them – a good number for a squad. I could only see two. I grabbed the two children and placed them behind me against the wagon. Daichi went to help Hanabi, who was now yanking the kunai out, dispatch the two behind her. Nobori had halted the horse and dropped the reins, looking around at what was going on. His eyes rested on Amaranth, who was moving towards me, and he leaped, placing himself between her and the trees, and not a moment too soon. A fistful of shuriken flew out towards us. He was directly in the line of fire, followed my Amaranth, and then myself with the children. I placed myself between them and the flying blades, but only one got past Amaranth and Nobori, and it embedded itself in the side of the wagon.

"Amaranth, are you alright?" I demanded, tugging her backwards to stand next to her children. I turned, giving her a look over. There was no blood. I looked back to see that Nobori had two in his arm. I grimaced. He moved back to help me defend the three people.

"Hanabi, Daichi, come back to the wagon." I ordered into my microphone. They deflected their attackers and leapt back. Amaranth, Haruka, and Haruhi all had their backs to the wagon. The four of us created a human barrier between them and the enemies.

"Where are they, Hanabi?" I asked. All four were now hidden, and I tugged out kunais. They were paralysis.

"There's one in the trees before us, one in that bush to the right of the tree near the horse, another right above that one, and then the fourth is in the tree to the left of that large rock." She told me, and I glanced at each spot, seemingly at random, while I tugged on my gloves.

"Okay. Hanabi and Nobori, your job in this fight is to be purely defensive. Don't let these three be taken or hit. If either happens, I want to know at once. Daichi, you and I are offensive. Let's see if we can't lure one out or not." I smiled. "You take the bush." He tugged out a kunai. "Now." We both threw our kunai at the same time, and they both hit wood as the shinobi dodged and came into the open. I rushed at the furthest one while Daichi went for the closest. As I ran at the man, I was conscious of kunai flying at me. I deflected two and dodged another, leaping into the path of a fourth that hit my arm. The one I was charging at attacked me then, and I hurriedly blocked with my arm, swinging the other hand up to punch him. He ducked, and I lashed out with my gloved left hand, extending the two senbons hidden in the first two fingers. At the last moment he moved, noting the glint from the steel.

"Sensei, look out!" I heard Hanabi say into the microphone. I dodged to the side as a second tried to kick me in the back. I drew two of my kunai, paralysis, and began fighting with renewed vigor. I managed to stick one of them in the side with one of the knives. I abandoned that knife as the guy cried out and stepped back to tug it out of his body. He turned it against me, and I leaped away, afraid of being paralyzed myself. I didn't have to worry long about him, because soon he was moving too lethargically to be a threat to me anymore. I grappled with the second man who seemed as confused as his friend, who was now staring at his hand as it fell limply to his side. Soon that would be his whole body. As I went to stab the second guy, I heard a childish voice yelling. I whirled letting my arm follow through, missing as the man dodged. Damn. I moved away from him, turning to look at the wagon. Hanabi was fending off a man in front of Amaranth while Nobori held one of the children up in his arms, looking down towards the bottom of the wagon. The fourth man probably snuck up underneath and grabbed the child to use as a bargaining chip. Damn, damn, damn. The man I was fighting struck me, and I fell back under his strength. He pinned me down with his body, grinning. I matched his grin as I hit a pressure pad on my gloves and stabbed him in the throat.

"Ow! What the hell was that?" He growled, glaring at me. My grin just grew wider, and I managed to punch him with enough strength that it stunned him long enough for me to shove him off. Once I was on my feet, I went to my students and the two remaining people we were going to escort.

"What happened? Where's the child?" I demanded of Nobori. Daichi and Hanabi were taking on the third man, while I wondered where the fourth was.

"He came from under the wagon. I don't know where he went." I looked around in the trees, before turning to help my students.

"Stop right there." The fourth then dropped into sight, holding the child with a kunai to its neck. His bluff didn't fool me. He was here to assassinate these people, so holding the child hostage did nothing. I stepped back a bit, completely blocking part of Nobori.

"Rose, why didn't you stop them?" I muttered, glancing significantly towards Nobori. He took the hint, thank goodness. Nobori set down the child, who went to cling to Amaranth.

"Hey, you, move away from that boy!" The one with the child yelled to me. I looked around, as if ensuring he was speaking to me.

"Bloody Rose!" Nobori said, invoking the jutsu. I formed the dispersion hand seal before rushing forward to get the child before they took the child's life or realized it was a genjutsu. The "roses" had pulled the child away from the knife, and I released one of the senbons with a touch of chakra. This I threw at the man, catching him in the center of his chest. I pulled the child from his arm, moving back and away as he watched. I threw another senbon at the fourth guy before allowing Nobori to release the jutsu.

"We're going to tie them up. Hanabi, stay on guard with these three. If there's anything suspicious, alert me at once, understand?" I ordered, returning the child to Amaranth

"Yes, Maia-sensei!" She invoked the Byakugan, while Amaranth held her children to her behind the small woman's back. I tugged out wire and began tying up the one who'd taken the child. The two boys on my team took two others, and by the time they were done, I'd tied up two of the men.

"Now for the not-so-nice part." I went to the man who'd taken the child. I used my Poison Removal jutsu on him, and while I waited for the effects of the poison to wear off, I pulled out a kunai marked with red flax. My teammates grimaced. Daichi turned away and fell back to Hanabi to help her stand guard. Amaranth caught his looked and was concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Lady." Daichi replied.

"Hanabi, Daichi. Take Amaranth and her children away from here. They don't need to see this." I ordered. "Nobori, you will stay. This will be a poison that I will teach you, and as such, you must know what it does." I smiled gently at the boy. "I'm sorry," I said softly to Nobori as the others moved away from the spot. "But this is the way these things go." He nodded in understanding.

"Let's just get it over with." He forced out, looking towards the man who had retained the ability to move.

"What's your name?" I asked, skipping all semblances of formality. The man spit at my feet. I smiled as sweetly as I could. "I've broken stronger men than you, my friend. I'll ask one more time. What's your name?"

"I'm not talking!" He declared. I nodded.

"That's what they all say. Sadly, none have lived up to their word." I told him, advancing on him with my blade. It shone a faint green as the light caught onto the poison smeared upon it. "This will hurt. And you will tell me everything I wish to know before the pain ends." I told him solemnly, before slicing the soft tissue just above his collar bone. "Tell me who you are." I demanded of the man, stepping back a tad bit so that I was next to Nobori again. For a few long seconds, nothing happened. Then the man's eyes widened and the color drained from his face as the poison hit full force. He whimpered softly, but no words came from his mouth.

"Your name!" I barked, hands on my hips.

"Hiroto!" The man gasped out. "My name is Hiroto Sato!" I smiled thinly.

"Good. Now, what village are you from?" I demanded.

"We're mercenaries." He managed, now sweating and gasping. I was actually quite surprised he wasn't crying out in pain yet.

"From where?" I prompted.

"Land of Waterfalls." He wheezed. I noted that whenever he wasn't speaking, he was biting down on his lip, stifling the cries he wanted to release. Blood was beginning to ooze from his mouth – he'd bitten through his lip.

"Who hired you? Do not lie to me." I told him grimly.

"A m-man." He stumbled over the word as his voice caught. Suddenly, he couldn't hold himself back anymore, and a scream of intense pain ripped from his throat. Nobori started, surprised at the noise. After the sound ended, he continued. "He had a hitai-ate w-wi-with a m-m-mus-music note on it." A sound shinobi, then.

"Can you describe him?" I asked.

"N-no. P-p-please, I c-can't." The man stammered, the pain making him gasp and wheeze, his eyes holding the fear of even more pain from my hands. Good. He should be afraid.

"What are your orders?"

"K-kill th-the lady and ch-ch-children," He groaned, his head hanging loosely from his neck as he panted. "A-and the shinobi g-g-guard-guarding them."

"And if you were to fail and survive?"

"T-to try ag-g-gain." He admitted, fear and pain tainting his voice. I nodded, expecting that.

"You do realize I cannot let you live because of that." I told him calmly, and he flinched. He screamed again, this time the fear causing him to lose the nerve that had been holding his throat closed against the noise. I steeled myself. I was going to have to kill these men in cold blood. "I do apologize. You have been quite forthcoming with your information, but I cannot have my charges killed." I drew a kunai. "It will be quick." I turned to Nobori. "You do not need to watch this. Go ahead to the others and tell them to prepare to leave."

"Y-yes, Maia-sensei." I grimaced and turned to the man.

"Last question. Will your employer send more of you?"

"I don-don-don't know! Please, l-lady, l-l-let us g-go! We'll le-le-leave, I pr-promise!" He begged.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Your friends probably won't agree." I looked over my shoulder. Nobori was gone. "Find peace in the afterlife." I told him, before stabbing him swiftly through the heart. He didn't feel a thing, other than the pain of the poison I'd put in his system. I quickly cut the throats of the other three before gathering the senbons and kunai's that I had lost in the battle. I'd reapply poison on them later when we made camp. Then I joined my team. Nobori was pale and the other two seemed a bit shaken. The two children were trembling in fear from the screams they'd heard, and Amaranth looked a tad bit green.

"We should be fine for a few days, hopefully. If luck is truly on our sides, we will not see any more enemies, but I doubt it." I told them. "Until then, we will move swiftly. I do not want a repeat of what has occurred today. Daichi, you will drive." He took his place at the reins, and on a second thought, I had the children sit up next to him. They looked like they needed to sit, and then we began to move. Hanabi had the rearguard and Nobori was to the far side. I walked next to Amaranth, who was silent the rest of the day.

When we set up camp, I took over the dinner detail. I served the food, and in the three bowls that went to Amaranth and her children, I added a few drops of sleeping poison. It would induce dreamless sleep; since I knew they'd have a hard time falling asleep after today's events. We all ate quickly, and though Amaranth looked at her food curiously for a moment, she finished the bowl without comment. It was less than twenty minutes that the three were fast asleep. My teammates looked in askance to me, but I just shrugged.

"They never would have fallen asleep." I said, and it was all I would offer on the subject. After we set up a watch schedule, the others went to sleep while I kept watch. I crouched near the flames and set about reapplying the poisons to my weapons. First I did the kunai, since they would dry much slower. I made a new pain one, along with two paralysis ones. Then, the senbon, both paralysis, since I had that poison out already. By the time it was time for me to wake Hanabi, the weapons were dried. I stored them away properly and woke the girl up. Once she was fully alert, I left her to her job and went to sleep.

We made it five days before we were attacked again. I'd been almost hoping that the enemy wouldn't hire someone else to do the dirty work. Darn. I had ordered my team that if it was possible, they were to kill the enemy. They had blanched at the thought, but they agreed. I hated making it an order, but it had to be done. We were on a B-ranked mission – there was no time to be gentle. While I would do everything in my power to keep everyone from being harmed, there was no way that I could shelter them from the fact that they were going to have to kill. It was the way of the ninja world. Hanabi had called warning merely seconds before we were struck. It was just after one in the afternoon and the children were snoozing against me as I drove the wagon. Daichi was next to Amaranth while Nobori was on the other side.

"Four incoming!" Cried the young Hyuuga's voice. I reined in the horse, and he stopped quickly. I hoped he wouldn't spook – luckily he hadn't last time – but I had no time to think of that as I was scooping both children up, one under each arm, and pulling them off of the wagon. The spot where we had been sitting was liberally peppered with weapons. I could hear fighting on the opposite side of the wagon, meaning Nobori was fighting. Sounds from the area behind the wagon alerted me to the fact that Hanabi was fighting as well. There was one before Daichi. So, where was the fourth? I kept the children up off the ground, looking for a safe place – but there were none to be had. I moved as more weapons rained down at me. I would have thrown a weapon back, but my hands were full of five-year-old. Damn it. I handed one of the children to Amaranth, before tugging her backwards as another weapon came at us. This time, I drew a kunai and threw back. It hit wood with a solid _thock!,_ so I knew I'd missed. Precariously balancing a child in one arm, I released the catches on two of the senbons hidden up my right arm. I threw them at Daichi's enemy when it was clear, and both caught him in the shoulder. The boy threw a kunai, catching the man dead in the throat, before falling back to help me.

"Stay here with these two. I'll watch over this one. I'm going to help out Hanabi." I released the last two senbon on my right arm before moving towards the rear. Hanabi was holding her own against the man that had decided to try and pick her off.

"Hold on." I murmured to the child I was holding. The arms clung even tighter as I sped up, passing behind the man. He turned, well aware that I was there, and took a punch from Hanabi in the gut for the trouble. He grunted, blocking another hit from the young girl as I threw a senbon at him. He managed to dodge it, and it lodged into Hanabi's arm. She wasn't going to be much help here in a moment, so I ran at the man, readying my second senbon. Hanabi tugged out the senbon from her body and stabbed the man with it, hoping for residual poison to rub off on him I'm quite sure. I stabbed the man with my senbon as he turned to face me, ducking under a blow and dodging a kick. As his movements slowed, Hanabi stopped all together, collapsing on the ground. There was no time to worry about her, though, because I had to make sure this guy was done before I helped her. I tugged out a kunai with black yarn on it – deadly – and threw it. It caught him square in the gut. He collapsed on the ground, and I knew he wouldn't be getting up. I went to Hanabi then, setting the child next to the girl.

"Stay right there, alright?" I told the child, forming the hand seals for the Poison Removal jutsu. After a few moments she began to twitch, and a little longer she was moving lethargically. "It will be out of your system entirely in a moment, Hanabi." I told the girl. "Just hold on for a few seconds." Once she could move completely, I sent her to help Daichi watch the other two while I scooped the child up in my right arm. I went to help Nobori, but I didn't need to even bother. He was finishing the man off as I came around the wagon. He was still breathing, so I pulled out another deadly kunai and threw it into his back. The three of us went to the other side to check on the others. The ground was covered in weapons and Amaranth was bleeding from a few cuts. Hanabi threw a kunai, and then a second. The first hit wood, the second hit a person, who grunted. Then he came down from the tree. Hanabi and Daichi went forward to take care of the man. I set the child on the ground as I went to Amaranth, pulling out the second scroll on my back. After breaking the seal with a little bit of blood, I pulled my medical bag out. I handed her a healing potion, ordering her to drink half of it as I unraveled bandages. I wrapped her left arm from her shoulder to elbow, since that was where a multitude of cuts were. There was on her right shoulder, which I wrapped after persuading her to move her clothing for a moment.

"There," I said, resealing everything away. "You'll be as good as new in a day or two. No scars either." By the time I had finished all of this and stood, the fourth man was dead. We continued on as soon as we could get the children up on the wagon. They fell asleep instantly, exhausted from the fear from the ordeal. When we made camp, we woke them long enough so that they could eat, before permitting them to sleep again.

The next day we arrived in the Port City of the Land of Fire. It was a bustling city full of sailors and merchants. We had Amaranth sit on the wagon with Nobori and Haruhi. Haruki was on my back, holding my light pack on his back, like I had done with Ryu during the mission that I protected him in. Daichi was close to the left side of the wagon, and I to the right. Hanabi rode on the back of the wagon, sitting on a tiny lip that was barely large enough to support her. Her eyes were trained on the crowd all around us, watching for enemies. We checked in at the Port, where we were informed that the boat would be ready to take us tomorrow. It would be a week long journey. I hustled us to a hotel, where we checked into a single suite. Lady Amaranth and her children shared one bed while Nobori and Daichi would share the other. Hanabi had the couch, and I curled up on a padded chair. We took turn watching for danger, but it was quiet all night.

We boarded the ship that would take us to the Land of Water the next morning. I inspected the rooms given to the Lady and her children before checking out the room my team had been given. They were safe, but I didn't like the fact that my team was down the hall from Amaranth and the twins, so while we inspected the boat for anything suspicious, I spoke quietly over the microphone we still had.

"We're going to split our group up in twos each night. Nobori and Hanabi is group one, while Daichi and I will make up group two. Tonight, group one, you will stay in Amaranth's room and keep watch. Tomorrow, group two will be in her room. The night will be split into four sections as usual. Hanabi, you will have first and third, while Nobori, you will have second and fourth. We must be quiet about this – no one except the lady, her children, and the four of us are to know. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei." The three others replied.

"Good."

Our search showed nothing strange, but it's better to err on the side of caution. We placed our packs in the room we were given, but kept the tools of our trade, as we went to dinner in the galley. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was filling. After that, the children insisted on exploring. I sent Daichi with them. Hanabi and Nobori were being watchful for any strangeness among the crew while I stayed with Lady Amaranth. We chatted about nothing in particular until she decided to go to bed with her children. Hanabi and Nobori took up their positions as the light went out in the room. I left my headset in as I went to sleep, but there was nothing. In fact, nothing happened the seven days we were at sea – but it was another three days until we arrived in Kirigakure, so we weren't out of the woods yet. We disembarked and began making our way to the Hidden Village. Besides some bandits who tried their luck the second day, no one attacked us.

We arrived in Kirigakure a little after noon on the fourth day. We presented our passports and allowed Lady Naruhito to lead us as we went through the Village. The moment the gates were in sight we switched from calling the three Amaranth, Haruki, and Haruhi, instead using 'My Lady' and other such frivolous titles that went to the advisor to the Mizukage's wife and children. She led us to the Mizukage's tower, where we were received very quickly. In the office were the husband and Mizukage. My teammates and I stood back as the man greeted his wife and children, before they were ushered out.

"Greetings, Lady Mizukage-sama." I greeted, moving closer to the woman's desk before bowing. The three genin behind me did the same.

"I am pleased to see that Lady Naruhito has returned home safe to us. I am glad to see that the Land of Fire lives up to its reputation." I smiled lightly at the compliment towards the village.

"I am sure that our Lady Hokage will be happy to hear such praises." I replied easily to the woman. She had a thin smile on her face, as if she couldn't wait for us to go.

"I know that the trip from the Land of Fire is quite long, so I won't delay you any longer. Safe journey to you." The woman said after a short pause. I bowed again, my team quickly following suit.

"Thank you for your blessings, Lady Mizukage-sama." We swiftly exited the room and headed back to the gate.

"We're going to get back to the Port City before two days pass, understand?" I told them as we signed out of the Hidden Village. They agreed, and we took off. We made it in a day and a half, from which we rode back to the Land of Fire's Port City. That trip took nine days, since we hit this freak storm, and then three days to make it back to Konoha proper. Lady Tsunade was pleased that we succeeded. We got our pay and went home. I told them training started up again the next day, and they smiled, nodded, and agreed. They went to do whatever it was that they did after a mission while I went to training ground six to see if my team was still in the village or if they were out on another mission. They were there, and it looked like they were just wrapping up.

"Hey there everyone." I called walking up.

"Welcome back." Neji replied as I came within earshot.

"How did it go?" Tenten asked.

"Oh, we fought a team of mercenary shinobi – many of whom I had the pleasure of killing." I grimaced. "My team took out another team of mercenaries and some bandits before we successfully delivered the three we were escorting home."

"Congratulations on a successful mission, Maia." Lee applauded. I smiled lightly at him.

"Thanks, Lee. We all got out with minor injuries too, thank goodness." I added. They all nodded in agreement. "What have you all been up to?"

"Just training. They decided not to give us any missions." Tenten informed me. I laughed. "What?"

"Well, I shouldn't be laughing. I feel kind of bad. I had a choice to take you guys or my team. Obviously I didn't pick you guys."

"Aww, Maia! We sat all bored-like while you got to go off and have fun, and _then_ you tell us we coulda came with you? How could you?" Tenten accused playfully. I made a face at her.

"Well, I had to make sure my genin were ready for the real deal. I'm quite pleased with the results." I consoled her. She sighed.

"Fiiine. Next time you have to take us though!" She declared.

"We'll see." I replied genially. We came to our separation point, where Lee and Tenten went one way, while Neji and I went the other. I waved goodbye to the others before Neji and I walked along.

"Now that you're done putting up a front, how was the mission?" Neji asked in his smooth, cool voice. I sighed.

"I can't fool you for a minute, can I?" I stopped for a moment, looking up at the sky. "I killed four men in cold blood, after torturing one for information." I told him. "The man begged for their lives, but I took them anyway. Then, in another assault, I killed two men. My genin killed two in that raid as well. Then the bandits, which I killed most of." I sighed again, moving forward again. "It never gets any easier, does it?"

"No, it doesn't." You couldn't reach the level of jounin without having taken a life. It was just impossible. Both Neji and I had killed before we were even chuunin. "I – and everyone else that knows you – am just glad that it was them that were killed, and not you." I smiled at the statement, looking over at him gratefully, before sticking my tongue out at him.

"Oh, don't get all soppy on me, Neji." I teased my old teammate. "Don't worry. I'm quite glad that I survived as well. It's just the thought of someone else's blood on my hands that bothers me a little bit. Especially that man who begged after I tortured him." I shuddered at the thought. Neji laid a steadying hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, Maia. You're not alone." I nodded, a thin smile making its way across my lips.

"I think that's enough self pity for one day, don't you think?" I asked, to which he nodded. I looked up, noting that we were at my street. "This is where we part ways. And Neji?" He looked towards me. "Thanks for listening."

"Of course. Good night, Maia."

"Good night, Neji."


	23. Old Teammate

Alright, alright. Here's your post! Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl please don't send zombie ninjas my way. My friend who I was relying on to save me from any form of zombie is moving, and I'm currently remaking my whole zombie apocalypse plan. Hopefully I won't die when that day comes. If I do die because of it, I blame my friends' mom.

**EDIT! **Thank you, Lady Phantasmagoric, for pointing out my typing failure. I honestly hate laptop touchpads - they like to screw me up when I least expected it. So, for any of you completely baffled by that last paragraph, I have edited it.

Naruto doesn't belong to meee! =[

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three – **_Old Teammate _

Most of the shinobis I knew were out of Konoha. Tenten, Lee, and Gai-sensei were out on a mission. Neji would have went with them, but he had just gotten back from a jounin mission with another team. The rookie nine, Team 7 – now known as Team Kakashi –, Team 8 – now known as Team Kurenai –, and Team 10 – now known as Team Asuma – were out on their own missions. That made the number of people that I would normally talk to total to five. My three genin, Ryu, and Neji. My team had been handed a few D-rank missions to keep us busy, but we really didn't do much over the next couple of weeks, and I was itching to get out of the village. So were my genins, especially after that "exciting" B-rank mission we'd finished. Still, it was quite boring.

I was training my team when the chuunin messenger came into the clearing. We were in the middle of evasive training and the man caught me off guard. I threw a handful of senbons at him, which he hastily dodged, before realizing that he was just a messenger. I apologized and he passed on the message. Lady Hokage wished to see me. I told the genin to keep practicing while I gathered my senbon. Then, I was back in the Hokage Tower.

"You wished to see me, Hokage-sama?" I asked, bowing slightly.

"Yes. Are you familiar with Lord Hiashi?" I nodded.

"He's the head of the Hyuuga family, isn't he? Neji's uncle and Hinata's father?"

"Correct. Now, there is a meeting of Great Lords occurring in the nearby Land of Grass, in Kusagakure. However, with all the activity against any villagers, instead of the Great Lords, they are sending representatives for their houses. Normally this would be the heir or second child, but you see, Hinata is on a mission and is indisposed, and Hanabi is too young to take the place of Lord Hiashi. Neji is going in their place, but he needs a female companion." I raised an eyebrow, completely understanding where this was going.

"You want me to pose as his wife or something?" I asked mildly, keeping the nervousness out of my voice, instead putting on an amused front. Well, it was quite amusing too. "Does Neji know of this?" He's going to die, absolutely die.

"No, you will be posing as his fiancée, so that there won't be concerns about no one hearing of a wedding." I nodded, firmly biting back the blush that wanted to spread on my cheeks. All kunoichi knew that this sort of life would be ahead of them. I was just glad that I wasn't going to have to sleep with anyone. "Neji was informed that a woman would be accompanying him, but not who the woman would be. I determined that, since you and Neji were teammates for two years, and you still visit actively with your old team, that you would be the best choice from those available." I nodded.

"What are my duties, exactly?"

"The two of you are going to be gathering information. For this mission you are not openly a shinobi, for that would be offensive. Your hidden weapons would be fine, but no kunai, no gloves, no hitai-ate. You can't take your poisons." I sighed, disappointed. "You'll be dressed up all pretty anyway – you wouldn't have anywhere to place the weapons. Speaking of dresses, you will need to get your hands on some nice kimonos. You should go speak with Lord Hiashi and see if he has any traditional Hyuuga kimonos that you can borrow." I nodded.

"How long will we be gone?"

"It will be longer than a week for you to get there, and then the meeting is about five days. So, anywhere from three weeks to a month. You will be leaving the day after tomorrow."

"If that's the case, I had better start making arrangements, now shouldn't I?"

"See to it. Dismissed." I left in a burst of smoke, teleporting to the base of the tower. I headed towards the Hyuuga compound. If I was right, Neji would be training with Lord Hiashi at this time.

If I had bet anyone money on that, I would have won. I was let in by one of the gate guards and shown to a courtyard where the two were sparring. I stayed well away as the two fought, sitting next to a tray that held cups and a carafe of water on it. It was interesting to see two Byakugan users go against each other. You could actually see chakra being deflected in blue arcs. Lord Hiashi won the spar, which ended only a few minutes after I arrived. He did something that knocked Neji back before pinning him down. After a moment, he offered Neji a hand up. Then they turned and noticed me, sitting by their water. I wordlessly poured them both cups and offered them.

"What are you doing here, Maia?" Neji asked as they accepted the water and sat down.

"Well, I was just informed that I'm going to be playing as your fiancée, Neji." He looked utterly confused, a trifle embarrassed, and, before I could determine what else he may be feeling, he turned his head away. I laughed, hiding my nervousness better than him. "I was hoping that I could borrow some traditional kimonos, or something close to one, from you, Lord Hiashi." Hiashi was grinning slightly.

"Of course. I think you can fit into some of Hinata's old kimonos. If not, I'm sure there are others around that could lend you some." I nodded.

"Thank you, Lord Hiashi." I said gratefully. I honestly didn't have the funds to get fancy kimonos, and I didn't have any of my own. After the two men caught their breath, Lord Hiashi rose. The two of us rose as well, and he led the way through a maze of hallways before coming to a stop before a room.

"This is our storage room for our fancier clothes. I don't think anyone will mind if we borrow a few of kimonos." He opened the door and entered, crossing to a closet on the other side. "Now, besides the formal kimonos, you will need to be in nice clothing the whole time you are in public – and even sometimes in private." I sighed. I didn't want to be in dresses. They were so damned hard to move around in. The man pulled out a few kimonos that were quite pretty and shiny. He held one up. It was a light blue with flower and leaf patterns in white and lavender. The neckline was a bit low, but there was black lace there to make up for it. There was the same black lace at the wrists. There was a long, dark red obi that was tied to it. Wrapped through it were accessories, so that they wouldn't be separated. There was a long red ribbon, along with two dark red cords and a flower.

"This is one of Hinata's favorites. She has worn it to many occasions. Please see that you don't allow this to come to harm." I nodded. He lifted another, followed by another, and then finally two more. They were all beautiful kimonos, shiny and quite expensive. They all came with different accessories and shoes that were all in some way attached to the expensive outfit. He pulled out a couple of different dresses that, while they weren't as extravagant as the prior outfits, were still quite pretty and suitable for our needs. They all had long sleeves and deep obis, perfect for hiding weapons or other secret items. The only question was: how the hell was I going to figure out how to put this stuff on?

"This should suit your needs, Maia." Lord Hiashi said, shutting the door to a closet. I nodded.

"Thank you, Lord Hiashi. They are all very beautiful." I moved forward to brush my fingers against the cool material. "I will take good care of all of them." He nodded.

"I will leave you two to discuss your coming trip. Excuse me." We watched as he left, before I looked at Neji. He stared back, and we lapsed in a slightly awkward silence.

"What's the game plan, Neji? I've never been to one of these fancy whatcha-ma-call-its."

"Well, I was assigned to this because I'm a Hyuuga. Why were you assigned?"

"I was picked because we're teammates, and as such we know each other better. I was told we're going to be gathering intelligence covertly."

"Correct. We're going to be moving through the inner circles of many important groups, and as such we may be able to overhear important information." I nodded.

"So, what are we going to do? We can't necessarily split up often, since we're supposedly engaged. Speaking of that, we need rings."

"We can split up occasionally, for drinks or to go to the bathroom, or other such excuses. Another excuse would be for one of us to go meet up with a friend we met there, and then walk among the others unnoticed, listening in on conversations. And as for the rings, I was told Lady Tsunade-sama will be supplying those." I nodded.

"I suppose I need to take these kimonos and pack them away, right? Are we travelling in some sort of over-dressed wagon-type deal?" Neji nodded, and I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation. "The things they tell us to do. Honestly, why do all the big and bad people have to be such sticklers?" Neji smirked at my outburst. "And we can't even carry weapons! Well, it's not like we need them, but still. I like my poisons."

"I'm sure that we'll be fine. Would you like help carrying those to your house?" I looked down at all the dresses. That much silk was bound to be heavy.

"We'll need something to carry them in, so that they don't get dirty." He nodded, and turned to rummage around in one of the closets of the room. He produced two large boxes that could collapse when not in use. We carefully folded the dresses up and packed them into the boxes. The dresses took up quite a bit of space, and managed to fill both.

"I can see why they need to use wagons to get around. Their clothes take up way too much space." Neji hefted up one box, while I carried the second one. "I will be so very annoyed if you only need one box, Neji." He chuckled. We arrived at my apartment after a few minutes of travel, and I opened the door, revealing Ryu, sitting on the couch reading. He eyed use curiously.

"What's with the boxes?"

"I have to go to this big meeting of the leaders of Great Houses and gather intelligence while pretending to be Neji's fiancée. It's going to be loads of fun." Ryu laughed.

"You sound so excited." I rolled my eyes.

"You're staying with Tenten's mom again, starting the day after tomorrow. Man, I have to give my team orders for the rest of the month." I sighed. I turned to Neji. "Thanks for helping me carry these stupid boxes over there. Where am I supposed to meet you and this wagon thing at?"

"I'll meet you here." I nodded, and then, after a moment of thought, stepped forward and pecked him on the cheek, a blush spreading over my own. "What was that for?" Neji demanded, and I could see that a light blush was on his face as well.

"We may as well get used to the act now, while we still have time to adjust. We can't be awkward before the Lords." I said, crossing my arms. "We can't just stand next to each other like wooden dolls the whole time. We'll have to show affection towards one another." He sighed and nodded, a bit reluctantly, to my statement.

"You're right." He ran a hand over his cheek where my lips had just been.

"This is going to be the strangest mission ever." I muttered, and he nodded. "I'll see you later, Neji." I said, and he left, closing the door gently behind him. I turned to see Ryu grinning wickedly at me.

"Not a word. Go make dinner or something." I told him, and he ran to the kitchen laughing. I walked to my room to find my extra senbons and a few kunai. I'd take senbon coated in nausea poison, along with kunais poisoned with sleeping poison. I couldn't use my other ones, such as deadly, pain, or paralysis, because it would be impossible to explain why a person died, was screaming in intense pain, or was found unable to move. However, nausea could be explained by having eaten something "bad", and sleeping could be any number of reasons. I poisoned them and laid them out, ready to be hidden away. I was, once again, grateful to Lord Hiashi for presenting me with kimonos with large obis and long sleeves. If he hadn't, I'd have had to go without any form of weapon – excluding chakra and my body – and I found that I relied heavily upon my poisons. Once I was done, I looked at the boxes on the floor. How the hell was I going to pull this off? I hadn't worn a traditional kimono since… hell, I couldn't even remember! And I was going to need to be able to get dressed and tuck weapons into the outfit as well? I glanced out the window to see it was dark. Fine. I'd ask Hanabi to help me – I was highly doubtful that Neji would be useful at all to me for this.

The next morning I went to the training grounds, where I found my three genin waiting for me.

"Today's practice is canceled." I told them, and they all looked excited. "However, I'm going to trust you all to train as hard as if I were here for the next couple of weeks. I'm going on a mission with my old teammate Neji, and won't be in the village for awhile." I told them. "Hanabi, I need to borrow you for a few hours, if you wouldn't mind?" She shook her head. "You boys can train or go off and do something else, but make sure you train tomorrow! If you don't… let's just say you don't want to do that." They made faces and turned to go practice. I smiled. "Alright Hanabi, shall we?" I led her away from the training grounds.

"What do you need me for, sensei?" Hanabi asked as was walked towards my apartment. I sighed.

"You know that Neji is representing the Hyuugas at some big meeting of Lords, right?" She nodded. "Well, I'm going as his fiancée." I paused as she gaped.

"Really?" I nodded.

"We're not really together – obviously. We were put together because we've been teammates for years and we know each other well enough to pull this off. However, I have to act like some rich lady and dress the part. That's the problem – I don't remember how to put on those stupid kimonos. I don't even know where half of the accessories are supposed to go with most of these!" Hanabi laughed as we ascended the stairs to my room.

"I can see how that's a problem. Alright, I'll get you ready for this, don't worry." She told me, and I smiled gratefully as I opened the door. I pointed at the boxes just inside the door.

"We're using all of the kimonos in those boxes." I told her.

After five hours of dressing up in kimonos, walking in them, and learning the accessories, Hanabi turned to me with her hands on her hips. "Where's your makeup kit?" Oh man. I'd completely forgotten – I didn't use it on a daily basis, so I didn't even have a basic kit here at home! My face must have given me away. "Stay here. I'll go get some stuff from my room. I don't need it, and Father will understand." She left then, abandoning me in a sea of silk. While she was gone I moved around the room, carefully packing away the kimonos we'd set aside, all the while striding around barefoot in a long, black kimono with yellow flowers patterned on it. Underneath it was a sea-foam green kimono, and under that was a sleeveless white kimono. The obi was yellow with white borders, along with a strip of sea-foam green through the middle. Hanabi helped me use the accessories that went with it too. They were two fake pink flowers with a few leaves that tied into the hair. We pulled my hair up into two high pigtails, using these to secure them.

By the time I was finished, Hanabi returned with the kit. She then went through and gave me a rudimentary once over of everything inside. Now, this stuff I was familiar with, but I let her help me out anyway, just to be on the safe side. We sat in front of the mirror for another hour and a half or so, using the make up in different styles. Finally, when Ryu returned home from school, we stopped. I changed back into my normal attire and carefully packed the kimono and accessories away. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail rather than braid it again.

"Ryu, I'll be back soon. I'm gonna walk Hanabi home." I called to the boy.

"You don't need to." The girl protested as soon as the door closed behind us.

"I need to ask Neji a few questions, so it's as good excuse as any." I told her. We chatted about training the rest of the time that it took to get to her home. She led me to Neji's room, where he was hiding out at the time, before abandoning me. I knocked gently on the door, and he called for me to enter.

"Neji?" I said, stepping in and closing the door behind me.

"Maia," He looked up, surprised. Obviously I wasn't who he was expecting. "I didn't realize you were coming over today." I shrugged.

"I just wanted to know what I'm supposed to wear for the trip in the stupid wagon. Do I need to wear something with the Hyuuga crest emblazoned on it, or what? I can't use the kimonos or dresses, since there's only enough for the days we'll spend there, along with one or two extra, just in case." He looked thoughtful.

"I think we should get you some clothes in the Hyuuga colors for the trip." I sighed. No clothes that were actually my own for this trip. Neji grinned at me and stood. "Let's go. I'm sure there's something we can get you." He grabbed my hand after a second of hesitation – which I jumped at – and tugged me along. I hadn't expected him to be forward, even though I'd told him we'd have to if we wanted any chance of pulling this off. I relaxed and let him tug me along to one of their storage rooms. There, after some rummaging, he produced some clothing. None of them had pants. They all had the Hyuuga symbol on the back. Most of them were white and blue with a black or dark blue skirt, but there was a dress or two in the mix too, of the same colors.

"These will go just fine with simple ninja sandals, so you don't need to worry about that." I nodded, folding the clothing up into compact bundles. He produced another box, this one much smaller than the ones from yesterday, and helped me pack the clothing into the box. I lifted it up into my arms when we were done.

"You'll have the rings tomorrow, right?" He nodded an affirmative. "Will we be alone on this trip, or do we have some sort of escort?"

"We'll be alone, since we're shinobi." I nodded, relieved. No one would be around to watch us embarrass ourselves on the trip there.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then." I told him. He walked me to the exit, and I could feel his eyes lingering on me as I walked down the street. I got home and set down the box that was carrying my travel clothes. I added into this box some underclothing and night clothes, since I was determined not to have a whole wardrobe of strange clothing. I went to bed apprehensive of the upcoming mission.


	24. Act One

Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl: Gray the Bisexual Unicorn sounds kind of interesting, actually. Not the whole rape thing, but everything else.

Snow'n'Cupcakes: I thought you'd died! :D Glad to see you didn't, and I'm even gladder that you're not exploding.

So, my favorite chapters are actually coming up. [Yes, I pre-write and don't give you them at once. I'm still trying to write more, and I can't just give you all of them at once or else you'd be **really** mad when I didn't update for like, weeks.] I hope you'll like them too.

Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto's.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four – **_Act One_

The next morning I woke and donned a loose Hyuuga shirt and a black skirt, gritting my teeth at the loose clothing. I stored my kunais and extra senbons in the folds of my nightclothes. The senbons went into the hidden compartments up my sleeves. I brushed my hair, leaving it down, before storing the brush away too. Then the makeup kit joined the lot, along with extra hair ties. As I was closing the boxes, there was a knock at my door. Ryu answered it before admitting Neji in. I looked up and accepted the ring he held out to me.

"Aren't you the one supposed to be kneeling or something?" I teased, rising from my position next to the boxes. His face colored as I slid the ring onto the ring finger of my right hand.

"Let's just get going." He said finally, and I nodded. He and I both took one of the kimono boxes while Ryu took the third smaller box.

"Ryu, make sure you pack some clothes and go over to Tenten's house, okay?"

"Yes, Maia." I smiled.

"Good. I don't want to come back and be told you hid out in the house the whole time." We loaded the boxes onto the wagon. People were staring at us, but I pretended not to notice. Once everything was in the wagon, Ryu bid us farewell and headed to school. Neji "helped" me onto the wagon seat before he settled next to me, and then we were heading to the gates. While I could have climbed up myself, it wouldn't have been ladylike and we were trying to fall into our roles properly. The shinobi at the gate grinned at us – they knew about our mission.

"Have fun, lovebirds." I stuck my tongue out at them as we accepted the passports.

"We'll have more fun than you will guarding this gate." Neji replied, and the guards' mirth died away. They'd be stuck here, waiting for travelers, and be bored out of their minds, while we got to travel. The man grimaced and waved us through. When we were out of sight of the gates I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"Alright. How long have we been engaged?" I asked.

"A few months. How about seven?" I nodded.

"Our wedding is going to be when?"

"A few years from now. We don't have an exact date." I tapped my chin.

"What else… Am I going to be a fragile court blossom or a kunoichi?" I asked, praying it wasn't the first, though it would be the best. No one would look twice at a girl who couldn't tell which end of a knife to hold. As I'd suspected, Neji chose the first. He grinned at my exasperated sigh.

"You'll be less noticeable. It'll be more believable too, because what kunoichi in her right mind would have hair as long as yours?" I had to laugh at that. "My father introduced us; you're an old friend of the family."

"That works." I agreed. We lapsed into silence for a bit, neither knowing what to say to the other. On most missions we had to be silent to keep our location a secret, but this one was different, since we were practically crying out for attention. I started up some conversation about missions, which we kept up for an hour before we lapsed into another period of silence. We stopped at noon to make lunch and to stretch our legs, before travelling again until nightfall, when we made camp. We used this time, when we were stuck in camp for hours, to get used to being near each other. Through the week and a half it took to travel to the Land of Grass, Neji became accustomed to holding, caressing, and kissing me – while I grew accustomed to being held, touched, and kissed. It was strange. I'm glad that he wasn't a stranger that I'd gotten paired up with, or I don't think I'd have been able to do this nearly as well. At least Neji and I had an understanding, and we knew the other was feeling just as strange as the other. By the time we reached the Land of Grass, though, we were able to pass as a couple. We had already been at ease with each other, we just had to get used to being much closer than we were used to.

We rode in to Kusagakure twelve days after we left Konoha. Neji held the reins to the horses that pulled the wagon while I sat next to him, my arm looped through his. We wore our travel clothes. I was in a dress. It was dark blue at the top, which faded into white. On the back was the Hyuuga crest. Neji wore a white kimono top with white pants. Over the pants was a dark grey wrap that split in the middle. Normally he'd also wear weapons, but we technically weren't allowed weapons. He didn't need any, personally, so I was the only one hiding any. We were directed to a large estate to the east of the gate, where we were to meet our hosts and other great Lords. A swarm of servants came out to greet us. Neji dropped down from the wagon before coming around to help me down. I accepted his hand, daintily stepping off the wagon. Ugh, dainty. I hated being dainty. It was so much more fun being in a fight than this. Still, this had been the part we had determined I would play. I was going to be one of those fluff-heads of the noble class, one who wouldn't know which side of a knife to hold, much less how to use it. That way, I'd be much less of a "threat", and people might open up and give me information easier. Even so, it didn't mean it wouldn't suck royally. While our wagon was led off somewhere, we were led inside to meet our hosts. They were Lord and Lady Kawahashi, who graciously invited us to stay as long as the meeting was being held. They explained that the meeting was to trade ideas with Lords of other nations to hopefully bring our Lands closer together, and that there was a formal dinner tonight. After some more discussion, a servant led us to the rooms our clothing had been taken to. When the door shut behind us, Neji scanned the rooms we were given for any eavesdroppers before nodding, signifying it was safe to speak.

"This is going to be even harder than I thought." I whispered. "That Lady's eyes were like hawks, watching the two of us." He nodded.

"The other Lords and Ladies will be like that too. We'll have to be careful." I moved to the boxes of clothing I had brought with me, which were in the next room over, going to the one with my night clothes in them. My weapons were all in their places, and I sighed in relief. I was half afraid they'd have gone through my things and found them.

"I'm going to bathe." I announced. "So I can get all pretty and stuff." I grimaced, and he laughed. I grabbed the kimono I had found I'd liked the best – which was the first one Lord Hiashi had presented to me. It was the light blue one with lavender and white flower and leaf patterns. I left the accessories on a table as I carefully carried the beautiful dress into the bathroom. I hung it up so that it didn't touch the ground before turning on the water, stripping, and stepping into the shower. After washing my long hair thoroughly twice, I turned the water off and wrung the water out of it, which was a tedious process. Finally, I towel dried my hair so that it was only damp, dried myself off, and dressed. The kimono was cool against my skin, and I couldn't help but rub my hands against the fabric. I stepped out of the bathroom, where Neji was lounging in the room.

"Can you help me please, dear?" I asked him. We'd begun using those terms of endearment too, so that they didn't sound strange. "I can't tie my obi right."

"Of course." He rose and came to me as I wrapped it around my waist – tight once, and a bit looser the second time, so I could hide kunai.

"It's supposed to be a large-ish bow. I'm sure you remember." I was meaning from when Hinata had worn it. His hands took the material from my hands and carefully tied it.

"How about this?" He led me to a mirror, where I stood sideways to look at it.

"It's perfect. Thank you!" I said, smiling up at him.

"It's no problem. I'm going to shower now." I nodded.

"Take your time. I'll be here." I pulled out my brush as he disappeared into the bathroom with clothing. I quickly tugged the brush through my hair, tugging knots out deftly. After a couple minutes I could run my brush through my hair without it catching on any stray snarls. It was then I started to put on the hair accessories. I tied my hair up into two high pigtails with two dark maroon hair ribbons and pinned a red flower into my hair, just past my left temple. I was applying makeup to my face when Neji came out straightening his clothes. As I was putting the finishing touches on the makeup he came over.

"How do I look?" I set down the brushes and looked over at him. When my eyes caught sight of him, my breath caught slightly. His top was cream colored that laced up with dark blue laces. His pants were a darker shade of cream. Over that he had an over robe of dark brown with a dark blue border, matching the laces. His hair was loose.

"You look quite handsome." I said after a moment of appraisal. I turned back to put away the brushes into their appropriate spots in the kit so that he wouldn't see my reaction. I'd never seen him in anything more formal than the clothes he'd worn to the Hokage's funeral a few years ago. He was very handsome. I had been aware of the fact, but I was even more so aware now, seeing him as he was. The brushes were now put away and I lifted up a final ribbon – long and maroon as well. I wrapped it loosely around my throat a few times before tying it into a small bow. I stood, causing the silk to fall into the proper places. It hugged my torso and waist while hanging loose around my legs and arms.

"How do I look?" I asked him, spinning slowly in place. His eyes roamed my body for a moment before coming to rest on my face again.

"Stunning. You'll put the other ladies to shame." I smiled slightly.

"I'm not sure about that, but thank you none-the-less." I replied, before going to grab my weapons. I slid up my sleeves and attached my senbon holster, making sure they lined up properly with my fingers. I didn't need to attach the senbons, since they'd been loaded since we'd left Konoha. I slid two kunais into my obi, and turned to him.

"Can you see the kunais?" I asked him, looking down at my obi.

"Yes. Here," He came up and carefully slid them back a bit towards the bow. "Can you reach those alright?" I slid my hands into the cloth, finding the hilts with a moment of difficulty, since they'd been moved.

"They'll be fine there, if they're disguised alright." Neji stepped back and looked at my hips, before nodding once.

"I can't see them."

"Good." I sighed and stretched my arms over my head. "When's this dinner supposed to start anyway?"

"In about thirty minutes." I nodded. Eating would be a piece of cake. It was the conversation that was going to be the more difficult aspect of the whole ordeal. But, that would come in thirty minutes. For now, we were stuck in this room until someone came to show us the way to the dining hall. I glanced around the room, actually seeing it for the first time. The room was painted with a light cream color. There was a single king sized bed, placed in the center of one wall. The blankets and pillows were cream, white, and light orange. There was a large bay window on the wall adjoining the one the bed was against. There were dark cream curtains that could cover the glass. In the alcove that the window made there was a light cream cushion with pillows, set perfectly for a view of the garden outside. A few feet in front of it was a glass table, and against the wall opposite of the bay window was a large closet with a few dressers. There was the bathroom, which was done in white marble and silver. The first room we had passed through was an informal sitting room, done in the same cream colors. There were two love seats and a single cushioned chair with another glass table in the middle. To the right of the room, centered between two windows, was a tea service. The cups were delicate porcelain with flower patterns.

"When we come back I'll hang up our clothing." I said after inspecting the rooms. It was a cozy set of rooms, though I doubted we'd see much of them. If Neji was going to reply he lost the chance when a knock sounded on the door. I went to open it as Neji rose and followed me. By the time he had crossed both rooms to reach my side I was sliding the door open.

"Greetings, Lord and Lady Hyuuga." I suppose since I was representing them I'd be taking their surname, but I wanted to point out that I wasn't a Hyuuga "yet". I bit my tongue on the words that wanted to escape my lips. "I am here to escort you to dinner. If you would please follow me?" Without really waiting for us, the man turned and began walking down the hallway. We stepped into the hallway and Neji shut the door, before following the man. As we went, Neji managed to hook his arm around my waist, which made walking a bit more interesting. Now, instead of balancing on my sandals and not stepping on the hem of my kimono, I now had to make sure not to bump into Neji. We were led to a large room filled with many different people. They were all chatting politely amongst themselves from their seats. I shrank against Neji a bit as we followed the man to our seats.

"Relax, Maia." Neji murmured to me. "You'll be fine." I took in a deep breath of air and released it slowly, pushing my fear away as I did. It wasn't talking to people I was afraid of – if that was the case I'd never have been able to become the leader of a genin team. No, I was afraid I'd offend someone and get them pissed off at the Hyuugas, or worse, the Land of Fire. We took our seats on the two cushions on the floor at the low table. To my left was Neji, to my right was another man. Across from us was another couple who were chatting amiably with their neighbor. I claimed Neji's right hand with my left as I warily eyed the people sitting around us. This place was a massacre waiting to happen. Suddenly, two sitting across from us decided to take note of us and started to speak.

"Oh, Lord and Lady Hyuuga, how wonderful it is for you to join us." The man said smoothly. I had no idea what his name was, but I smiled pleasantly back at him as Neji spoke.

"Lord Tomimura, Lady Tomimura; it is a pleasure to see you again." His face, while it wasn't blank as usual, it wasn't brimming with emotion either.

"Your name was… Neji, am I right?" The man asked. "We were at your compound only a few years ago. My how the time flies." Neji nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, Noburu, it has indeed been a long time. Your wife, Lady Chou, is looking as beautiful as ever." The woman blushed and stammered some polite excuse.

"But who is this stunning young woman next to you? Surely not your wife?" He asked, eyeing me, almost hungrily. It was kind of disturbing, coming from a married man who was quite obviously much older than me. I smiled politely as Neji introduced me, letting my mind think of ways to exploit the man.

"Not yet she isn't. This is my fiancée, Maia." He leaned over to peck me on the cheek, to which I blushed, as most women would.

"Fiancée! My goodness, when did this happen?" The question was directed towards me.

"We've been dating for several years, but only recently did we become engaged." I replied softly, glancing over towards my "lover".

"When do you two plan to marry?" Lady Chou asked curiously.

"In a year or so. We haven't been able to decide on an exact date yet." Neji replied smoothly. I nodded in agreement, my hair bobbing and brushing my shoulders. After a few more pointless questions, the conversation changed to the economy as the first course was served. Everyone murmured "Itakadimasu!1" It sounded much louder, since everyone said it almost unanimously. We started to quietly eat our meals, and once we had all sampled the food, quiet conversations started up again. Lord Tomimura was "covertly" looking at me, which, to any trained shinobi, was quite blatant. By this time we were reaching the end of the meal. As we all finished our meals, we looked to the head table, where Lord and Lady Kawahashi sat. When they set their chopsticks down, the rest of us followed suit before murmuring "Gochisosama-deshita.2" Then, as the servers came to clear away the bowls, the diners moved to another room, where we could gather easily in groups. Neji and I rose, as did our dinner partners, and we politely excused ourselves. As we walked away, he slipped an arm around my waist possessively.

"That man… ugh." I shuddered slightly. "I felt like a mouse being watched by a cat. It was quite disturbing."

"He can't do anything here. Don't worry. Even if he tried, I'm sure you could express your disinterest quite easily." I nodded.

"Let's go mingle then, shall we? Hopefully there aren't any more creepy men to deal with." He smirked and steered me through the crowd, glancing around for potential conversations. We were pulled into a debate over some sort of tax. Well, Neji was. I stood there, smiled when I was looked at, and generally agreed with anything Neji said. I excused myself after a few minutes after a look to Neji. I quietly roamed the large room, listening in on "private" conversations. However, none of the conversations towards the middle were really private, so I managed to get to the edge of the room, looking around curiously for any suspicious people. I turned, and took a sudden step back. Lord Noburu was standing right there, leering down at me.

"H-Hello, My Lord." I said. "You startled me."

"I apologize. Please, call me Noburu. It's much more pleasant than 'My Lord'." He smiled down at me in such a way that my skin crawled.

"Of course, M- Noburu." I made myself slip, as if nervous. "Do you know where the ladies room is? I was just searching for it and I can't seem to find it." I asked, giving a perfectly reasonable excuse to be away from my "fiancée".

"Why yes, I believe I do. Chou just made her way there as well. It's on the opposite side of the hall." I nodded, making ready to bid my farewells and beat a fast retreat when he continued. "I can take you to a hall that parallels this room, so that you can get to the ladies room without fighting through this crowd. I'd hate for you to get lost or for someone to accidentally trip you and mar your beauty." I smiled politely.

"That's quite kind of you, but it really isn't any trouble for me to cross the room again."

"Now, what sort of a gentleman would I be if I left you to roam this mass of people alone?" He was obviously trying to undermine Neji, but I wasn't going for the bait, but he was being very insistent upon getting me out of this room.

"I couldn't impose. I'm sure Lady Chou will be looking for you soon."

"All more reason for me to take the side hall and reach her side quicker. Since we're going the same way, won't you accompany me?" Damn. Now that he worded it that way, I had to accept or seem quite rude, and I didn't know what kind of power this man held to even think about offending him.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to take your shortcut." I replied, smiling politely at the man. He offered his arm, which I took gingerly, and he escorted me out of the hall and into a hidden corridor that I hadn't noticed. We walked along a short distance, before he turned me down another hall. It was down this hall that he suddenly pushed me up against the wall, using the arm that was holding my arm to pin me in place. I had expected something like this.

"N-Noburu! Let go of me!" I demanded, struggling like the pathetic maiden I was supposed to be.

"I don't think so, my dear. You and I are going to get to know each other _very _well." My eyes widened in fear as my weak struggles continued.

"Let me go or I'll scream!" I threatened. He chuckled.

"Go ahead and scream. No one will hear you. You're trapped, My Lady." He pressed his body harder against my own, and I whimpered.

"What do you want? Let me go, please! I won't tell anyone, I swear!" If he didn't let go this time, or didn't let on to having some sort of information I needed, I wasn't responsible for my actions.

"You'll know what I want soon enough my dear."He leaned forward to kiss me, and I let my body fall slack against his, as if resigning myself to my fate. He relaxed too, happy to see his prey losing all hope. Then, I lifted my right arm, which he'd missed pinning and I'd kept out of his notice, hit him in the head, knocking him off balance. I hit him again, but he blocked it.

"Oh, a feisty one are we? I'm sure we can fix that." He purred. Ugh, this man was disgusting. He managed to pin both of my arms above my head, freeing one hand. He slapped me across the face with the free one, hard enough to force me to turn my head with the blow. That would definitely be a bruise. This man was strong, and not because of the slap. Many people could muster the strength to slap someone hard enough to turn the head of the receiver. No, he proved his strength with the intense grip on my wrists. His hands were holding tight enough to bruise the flesh. I couldn't twist them out of his grasp, no matter how hard I tried. "You're only making this worse for yourself. Stop now, and I won't be forced to do that again." I couldn't reach my kunais and my senbon wouldn't do me any good with my arms above my head. He tore at the neck of my kimono, revealing more of my throat and cleavage. My obi held fast, so he couldn't pull it open a lot, but he managed to get more skin to show than there was before. He leaned down towards me, a malicious glint in his eye. No. No way was this guy placing his lips on my flesh. I kneed him in the stomach, knocking his wind out a bit and catching him by surprise, before wrenching my wrists out of his crushing grip.

As I pulled from his hands from his grasp, his fingers clutched at the fabric on the overlong sleeves, catching the edge of the hem. I refused to be caught again, however, and I yanked the cloth away from him. I heard the silk tear and I winced slightly on the inside. I would have to pay for that later. I fled back down the hallway in the direction he had led me from as I listened to Noburu's curses echo up the hallway. His footsteps were close, causing me to curse softly as well, so I sped up. As I moved, my mind was racing. Tears. A victim – well, a soft, female victim that I was going to be portraying in a moment – would be in tears. I conjured up the worst memories I had in my head until I forced myself to cry. I took the corner at a sprint, my hand catching the wall so I didn't slam into it, while the other went to my hair and tugged out the ribbon to one of my ponytails. I stashed the ribbon securely in my obi so that no one would see it just as I reached the door. I was reaching out for it when I felt a hand clamp down on my wrist and try to yank me backwards, but my hand was on the door. I slid it open with a crash, and those nearby turned to see what the noise was about. Their eyes spotted me, a woman, "struggling" with a man. While his grip was still strong, I could have broken away from this grip easily if I so chose. I didn't this time, instead fighting uselessly against him as men from the bright room behind me came forward. They pried his fingers off my hands, pinning the man to the wall and leading me away from him. I collapsed, shaking my shoulders. I could hear people murmuring all around me, but I ignored what they said. It would be about the poor girl crying on the floor anyway, so it's not like it mattered.

"Now gentlemen, please, I was only trying to help the poor girl. She got lost and I frightened her in the dark hallway." Noburu told them, his smooth voice carrying over to me, as a handful of noble women came to console me. I could feel my makeup running down my face with the tears I'd forced forward – I had to have looked a mess. I winced away when one of them touched my wrists, and the women pulled the sleeves up a little to look at them. I glanced down to see that there were already darkening patches of skin on my wrists – in the shape of a hand. My cheek, now that I was thinking of bruises, was throbbing now.

"She has bruises on her wrists and cheek!" She called over her shoulder to the men. I nodded shakily.

"He hit me and wouldn't let go." I mumbled, before realizing that I should be babbling from shock. I remembered the attack on Konoha a few years ago, and how I'd helped reunite parents with their children, wives to their husbands, and other family members in the same way. The people had been asking for their mothers and fathers, or lovers and children. I used that as the basis for my "shock".

"Where's Neji?" I asked in a timid, shaking voice as I looked around slightly.

"Someone will get him, don't worry dear." An older woman's voice cooed comfortingly at me. After a few more minutes sitting there, babbling about wanting Neji, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, causing me to jump. I turned my head warily, as if afraid of what I'd see, to look up into Neji's worried lavender eyes.

"Neji!" I exclaimed in relief, leaping to my feet – a feat I'm not sure I could pull off a second time in that kimono – before flinging my arms around him, burying my face into his shoulder. He tensed, his arms wrapping around my slim form to catch me, his face turned down to press against the top of my head.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I forced my shoulders to shake, as if I were crying. Well, tears were still running down my cheeks, so it wasn't much of a lie. "I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't kill him, and it happened so fast." One of his hands rose from the grip on me to stroke the hair that was hanging loosely down my back.

"Are you alright?" He asked, ignoring my apologies. I nodded slowly, still the meek woman that was afraid of her own shadow now.

"I'm going to have bruises on my cheek and wrists, but that's about it. Most of all that's happened so far has been just an act." I replied, and he relaxed a bit, sighing. Then, he lifted his head to look at the people around us.

"My fiancée and I are retiring for the night. We will deal with this… insult… in the morning, when she is calmer. Good night." He gently pushed me forward, causing me to turn and walk next to him. His arm was still around my shoulders, and I pressed against him as close as I could without hampering our movement. My face was turned down, eyes bright with the tears that were just now slowing, as we walked out of the bright room and into a slightly dimmer hallway, ignoring the sympathetic muttering that followed us out. A servant led us back to our rooms, so I had to keep up the ruse until the door was shut firmly and Neji said that it was all clear. My demeanor instantly changed.

"I can't believe that fool of a man tried something like that here!" I growled, pacing the room in the kimono. I would have kept it up if my foot hadn't caught the front hem of the kimono and I nearly fell flat on my face. I glared down at the beautiful outfit before whirling, storming to the other room and grabbing my night shirt and pants. I changed swiftly in the room before setting the kimono and all of its accessories on a dresser. I'd deal with it later. I went into the bathroom to look at the damage.

I was right. I was a complete mess. There were dark trails drying to my face, and under the light powder I'd placed on my cheeks I could see the forming of a dark bruise. It would probably be purple or black tomorrow. As I wet a rag and began wiping my face off, Neji came in to survey the damage. I winced as I grazed the bruise, and Neji pried the cool cloth from my hand and gently cleaned the area. He probably got it done faster than I would have been able to. The sucker _hurt_.

"You could have poisoned him." Neji said genially, trying to lighten my annoyed mood.

"It would have aroused suspicion. There wasn't any alcohol being served, and he was in good health. Why would he have been sick or unconscious?" I countered, before sighing. "By the time there was need to, my hands were pinned out of reach."

"We'd have figured something out. By the way, what's your official story?"

"He told me he was going to lead me to the ladies room by a quicker route, and pinned me in one of the darkened hallways out of earshot of the grand hall. I struggled and tried to hit him, which failed, and he struck me in the face after pinning my arms above my head. I lifted my knee to try to hit him in the groin, but I _suppose_" I emphasized the word, meaning I did it on purpose. "I missed, hitting him in the stomach instead. I made to run away and he tore my dress." I paused, thinking about that. "Hinata won't be too happy about that. Anyway. I managed to get back to the door that he'd led me in by before he grabbed me, but it was too late."

"What about your hair? One of the ribbons is missing." Neji asked, setting the cloth on the counter. I fished the strand of thread out of my obi.

"I fabricated my attack a little bit. I'll just suppose that during his pinning me the ribbon fell out. It's not like it's supposed to be clear to me – I'm just a woman who is in the shock of an attack." Neji nodded in agreement. I left the bathroom, Neji close behind. I crossed the room to hang up the kimono so that it didn't wrinkle. My hands were just resting on the fabric when Neji's voice crossed the room to me.

"Maia." It was a bit quieter, and a bit more intense than it was before. I turned, curious.

"Neji? What's wrong?" He crossed the room in a few strides, enfolding me in his arms. My arms were pressed to my sides as he clutched me to him, his face pressed to my hair.

"When someone came and got me, saying you'd been attacked and were in tears, I was afraid something bad had really happened. You haven't cried since…" He groped for the last time I might have cried. "I don't even know when."

"The last time I cried was when I thought you were going to die." I mumbled, still quite confused. Sure, we were pretending to be lovers for those idiots outside, but we weren't in reality. He knew I could take care of myself, so why was he being so forward now?

"You cried?" He asked quietly. He'd been unconscious at the time, so I wasn't surprised he didn't know. No one knew, really, except me.

"Yeah. You'd passed out on the ground and you had those… those holes in you. I really thought you weren't going to survive, and the thought of you dying…" I didn't even finish the sentence. That had been the memory I'd recalled to bring the tears to my face as I'd ran towards the great hall. We stood there a few moments longer, before I fidgeted slightly. "I'm alright Neji, really. You don't need to worry about me, okay?" He released me, looking down at my face, and then to my wrists.

"He's going to pay for hurting you." He said solemnly. I nodded.

"I intend to see that he does." I agreed, before yawning. All this acting had made me tired. "I'm going to sleep, alright?" He nodded, going to change into more suitable clothes for sleeping as I darkened the room. The only sources of illumination were the two candles placed on the night stands that stood to either side of the bed. I crawled onto one side of the bed, rolling so that I faced the wall, as Neji entered the room again. I blew out my candle as Neji climbed into the bed beside me.

"Good night, Neji." I murmured.

"Good night, Maia." He blew out the candle, and I soon fell asleep.

1. Said before eating; "Let's eat."

2. This is, for the most part, thanking the host for the meal.


	25. True Colors

Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl: Well, I'm an odd person, I suppose. -shrug- He sounds kinda cool.  
itachi523: Sorry, dear, but only one a week! Maybe you'll get two for Christmas.  
Lady Phantasmagoric: :D Thank you. I love Maia too.

So, this one is eh on my list of favorites. It's just a build for what comes next, so be patient, alright?

All the characters, except Maia and Ryu, aren't mine (sadly).

**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five – **_True Colors_

I woke up in an empty bed. I sat up, stretching and yawning, glancing around, before realizing the shower was on. Assured that I hadn't been abandoned to the wolves, I rose from the warm blankets to sit at the vanity, where I began to brush my hair. I wasn't even halfway through the left side of my hair when I heard Neji leave the bathroom.

"You really should cut that hair of yours." Neji said mildly. I listened to his footsteps cross the room towards me, and I shuffled the hair out of my way to look towards him with a wry look on my face.

"But it's so pretty." I sighed, like an airhead. I grinned, before talking properly. "I like it long. Besides, when I braid my spiked cord in, stupid people grab it and get an unpleasant surprise." I shrugged. "Or it can be used as a pretty adornment because I'm a lady who has to be all dressed up. No kunoichi would _ever_ dream of growing her hair out to be this long, so I can't possibly be a kunoichi." He chuckled softly.

"I suppose you are correct." He looked over my messy hair. "We're supposed to be ready in about an hour to see the Lord and Lady Kawahashi about Lord Noburu's attack on you last night." I grimaced. That meant I had to act and be all mopey, clingy, and sad. Ugh. I rose from my seat at the vanity.

"I'd better go take a quick shower, then." I said, sighing at the end. Neji was grinning at my sudden change in demeanor.

"Oh, don't look like that. You'll be fine." He said reprovingly. I just stuck my tongue out at him and disappeared into the bathroom, quickly jumping into the shower. The water was still warm from Neji's, so it wasn't long before I was out again, even with all of my hair. It was only then, as I was drying off with a towel, that I realized that I'd forgotten clothes. Oh boy.I wrapped the towel tightly against my body, ensuring that it wouldn't fall, before opening the door slightly and glancing around. Neji was still in the bedroom, which was where my clothes were. Damn. And I'd hoped he'd be somewhere else. Not like he had anywhere else to be, but still, one could hope. I sighed and slid out into the room, trying to pretend I was wearing more than a towel, but knowing I was failing miserably. I managed to get to the chest of clothing, all the while feeling Neji's eyes on me.

"I would have brought you clothes." He said as I was riffling through the garments. I glanced over my shoulder at him, noting he was now looking fixedly at the wall away from me, a light blush against his cheeks. I grinned slightly and turned back to my search.

"But what if I didn't like it?"

"You would have had clothes, now wouldn't you?" Well, he had me on that point. I rolled my eyes, but he couldn't see me do that.

"It's a little late now, don't you think?" I snatched out a black kimono with the purple under-kimono, along with the large, dark red obi that went with it, before returning to the bathroom. As I dressed, I took a good look at it. It was pretty simplistic, actually. Besides the golden accents at the wrists and the large, lavender embroidered Hyuuga crest on the back, it was bare of adornment. I tied the obi the best I could and exited. Neji no longer was red in the face, and was tapping idly on the table.

"I hate being a female sometimes." I announced, and he raised an eyebrow in silent question. "It takes much too long to get ready for _anything_, except fighting. Honestly, if I didn't need to dress up, I'd be ready to go in about five minutes." I complained, and he smiled as I took up the hair brush and began attacking it savagely, yanking the knots out. "How much time until we have to go?"

"About forty-five." So the shower wasn't nearly as long as I thought it had been. I slowed down in my tugging, so that I didn't lose _all_ the hair on my head.

"Do you think I should cover the bruise with makeup, or leave it as is?" I asked. It had turned a lovely shade of black-purple over night. I turned to look at him, so that he could judge it.

"Leave it uncovered. It'll add to the gravity of what happened." He paused before adding, "Don't wear your wrist sheathes either. They'll be noticed, since they need to look at your wrists too, probably." I sighed.

"I'll say it again. Being a female sucks. A "great lady"," I made the air quotations with one hand. "is even worse. Stupid wimps. Stupid dresses." I sighed and went back to brushing my hair. Once it was finally done, I pulled it up into a high pony tail. "Well, I'm ready to go, since I don't need makeup." Neji glanced to the clock.

"Twenty minutes until they should be summoning us. Are you ready for this?" I sighed, folding my hands in my lap and looking down at them. I'd have to summon up all sorts of emotions in a short period of time, and it was going to be _so_ annoying and tiring. Suddenly, hands were pressing down gently on my shoulders. I looked up into the mirror, to see Neji looking at me. "Don't worry so much, Maia. I'll be right there with you the whole time. You can pull it off. You're a great kunoichi." I smiled wanly.

"Well, it's going to happen whether I like it or not. I just hate being meek!" Neji chuckled.

"When we get back you can growl and rant all you want, but for now, you'll have to act." Just as he finished, a knock sounded at the door. Neji strode into the other room while I waited where I was, as if I were hiding from the outside world.

"Maia!" He came to the door to the room. "It's time to go, love. Are you ready?" I sighed softly, so that those in the other room wouldn't hear me, and gathered myself.

"Yes, Neji." I replied softly, rising from my seat and moving to him. He let me walk into the room before him, but quickly came to my side, putting an arm around my shoulders. I kept my face turned downward and tried to look like a mass of anxiety, when in reality I wanted to just calmly walk up to Noburu and cut his manhood off before walking away just as calmly. Sadly, I wasn't going to get to do that. A woman, I saw her skirts in the edge of my vision, led us to a small meeting room. Within it were Lady and Lord Kawahashi, Lord Noburu, and a few men and women I recognized from the party before. One was the woman who'd found the bruises on my wrists. I didn't see Lady Noburu anywhere; I supposed she was appalled by her husbands' behavior.

"Lord Hyuuga, Lady Hyuuga, how pleasant of you to join us." Lord Kawahashi's voice called to us from across the room.

"It would be pleasant, if not for the situation we are meeting for." Neji replied coolly, before steering me to a seat near the front. He sat next to me, and we clasped hands openly. My head was now angled towards my lap, causing my face to be shadowed. I leaned over to him to whisper in his ear.

"Why isn't there a judge or any other legal official?" It was barely louder than a breath.

"Nobles take care of nobles. Depending on the outcome, other officials will be called in." I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder gingerly, keeping my bruise from touching him.

"What are the charges?" Lord Kawahashi asked to the room. Neji's voice answered him.

"Lord Noburu attempted to rape," I winced at the word. Okay, my meek self winced at the word. I myself, wasn't afraid of the word. "my fiancée, the Lady Maia."

"And what does the accused have to offer?" The Lord asked, once more to the room.

"I was trying to help the poor girl, who was lost in the corridors, and I frightened her, causing her to flee in terror. There wasn't anything malicious in my intentions last night." I made myself tremble when Lord Noburu spoke, as if his very voice inspired fear within me.

"What does the victim have to say?" Now I had to speak. Great.

"I-I was in the great hall last night." I said, my voice quavering, as if merely retelling what happened made me fearful. "And I was trying to find the ladies room, when Lord Noburu appeared. He… he offered to take me down a separate passage, so that we might arrive there more quickly, rather than fight the mass of people." I paused, as if gathering my wits.

"It's alright, Maia." Neji whispered, loud enough for others to hear. "Go on." I nodded.

"Lord and Lady Noburu had been our dinner partners last night, and I'd noticed Lord Noburu looking at me so strangely, so I tried to decline his offer politely. However, he worded it so nicely that I just _had_ to go, or else he might get offended and be angry with the Hyuugas." My voice faltered, before paused, and then I began again, my voice just loud enough to be heard through the room. "He led me down halls, and when we were a distance away, he pinned me to the wall and tried to take advantage of me. He hit me, and ripped my dress, and hurt me. I lost a hair ribbon too." That last part was a lie, but oh well. I was a victim. "I tried to break his grip, but I couldn't get out, so I tried kicking him… you know… and he let go and I managed to get back to the great hall before he caught up to me. Then everyone saw him, and I was free." I leaned against Neji, my face downward once more. I'd looked up towards Lord Kawahashi when I told him Noburu had hit me, but now I was looking away again. I forced a few tears to leak out of the corners of my eyes, but they dried up rather quickly.

"Is there any proof to her words?" He asked. Obviously there were several witnesses, but I supposed you had to ask.

"Her cheek and wrists are bruised." One woman called out. Neji gently pulled back the sleeves of my kimono, revealing the purple-black bruises. You could distinctly see the outline of a hand on them. I turned my face up, turning my head away from Neji to reveal my darkened cheek. After a moment, I turned away, looking back down.

"Her kimono from last night is in our rooms. If you would like to see it, we can easily have someone bring it to us." Neji announced to the Lord, who nodded. A woman scurried off to go get it.

"Neji, both ribbons are still in the obi." I whispered to him. He shook his head lightly.

"I took one of them out and hid it this morning, when you were bathing." He murmured back.

"Oh." I sighed, covertly glancing at the room. "This is ridiculous."

"I agree."

"It's my fault."

"No, it's that idiots' fault."

"Sure."

"Maia." His tone was sharp, but still soft.

"We can talk about this later." I said, as Lord Kawahashi decided to speak again.

"While the maid is getting the kimono, does the accused have anything to say about this evidence?"

"Her fiancé, Lord Neji, must be a brutal man indeed, to strike a woman. I'm sure she had them before we met. Her makeup was running quite a bit from crying last night – she probably had the bruise hidden with makeup." My head, still meekly cast downward, jerked up in outrage. Neji's hand squeezed mine, and I bit my tongue, hard, on what I was going to say. I looked to Noburu, and saw that a triumphant look was upon his face. Was he trying to make me kill him?

"How much influence does he have here?" I whispered to Neji.

"More than the Hyuugas do." That wasn't good at all. The servant that had went for my kimono returned, and from there, the trial continued – but not in the way we had hoped.

"What have you brought before us?" Lord Kawahashi asked the man, who held up my kimono.

"The Lady Maia's kimono from last night." It was indeed. The sleeve was still torn. A second servant held the obi and three red ribbons. Wait – three? There were only two that were supposed to be brought before the court today. One was supposedly mission.

"Neji," I whispered urgently. "They have all of the ribbons." He squeezed my hand hard in response, and I looked back at the proceedings. They had announced that they had all of my ribbons, and the Lord was now looking to me inquisitively.

"The sleeve was torn – any can see that. Noburu did that. I was in tears of fright from his attacking me, which was also witnessed by many." I said, softly yet clearly. "I was afraid, last night, that a Lord as well esteemed as Noburu is, would not be convicted on such petty evidence, especially at the words of a woman who is lower in status than he. " I was actually quite low on the status ladder, but that didn't matter. "So, I pulled out my hair ribbon. That is the only lie in my story, for everything else I have said is true."

"See? She lied!" Noburu roared, victoriously. I shrunk against Neji.

"What can they do to me?" I whispered.

"They can arrest you and hold you for a few months. If that happens, Lady Hokage and Lord Hiashi will get you out, one way or another." I nodded slightly, thinking. Arrest would suck, but I could handle it.

"Whatever happens, one of us must get back to Konoha." I whispered. "They'll send a story of lies, where one, or both, of us did something to land us in prison." He nodded, and I leaned against him, probably for the last time. The thought made me a little sad, but I didn't try to even understand why. Instead, I listened to what was being said in the room once more.

"-charges against Lord Noburu will be dropped, as the Lady Maia, the chief witness and acclaimed victim, is being arrested on basis of false witness and attempt to falsify evidence. " I clutched Neji's hand. "Lady Maia, an officer will arrive shortly to take you to prison. Please take times to say your goodbyes now." I turned to bury my face in Neji's neck.

"What do I do? Do I stay and be complacent? Do I escape if I can?"

"Don't make a move until we've sent word to you. It won't take long for me to get back. I'll have our things shipped home, if I can. If not, we'll get them on the way back." He whispered to me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders in a comforting manner. "It won't be too terribly long, Maia. A few weeks at the most – though I doubt it will come to that. I won't be limited to the speed of a cart on the way home – and neither will whoever comes back for you."

"I know. I'll survive, don't worry. It's going to be dreadfully boring." I heard Neji cough softly, to cover the chuckle that almost emerged from his lips. That would have been bad. "Sorry." I whispered sheepishly. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Do you think this was a power play – to prove that the Tomimuras are better than the Hyuugas?

"I was thinking that was probably the case. Though, I don't think it started that way." I nodded. Probably not. "Either way, Lord Hiashi needs to hear of this." He tensed slightly. "They're here." I sighed against his shoulder.

"Should I cry?"

"Probably."

"Damn." Another sigh, and then I was pulling up more memories to bring the tears to my eyes.

"Maia Haru." A masculine voice intoned. I looked up towards the speaker; my cheeks wet enough to appear as though I was crying. There were two men in uniform there, one a step behind the other. It had been the front-most one that had spoken. "We are here to take you into custody for falsely accusing a man of rape, for falsifying evidence, and for bearing false witness. You will be held for six months or until a bail of fifty thousand yen can be paid." That, for a lord or lady, wasn't actually that much. Obviously the higher ups got it much easier than the rest of the world. If I had been anyone other than a noble, I'd have gotten at least a year, probably more, for all of those charges. Not that I would have been caught, if I were actually being myself. I'd have just killed the guy and left no trace. Too bad I couldn't have done that here.

"Behave yourself." Neji whispered as the two of us rose. He escorted me to the officers, and then the three of us walked out. My head was bowed, tears tracking down my cheeks again. I had to fight to keep the waterworks going – my current state of mind didn't call for tears, it called for me attacking someone. A specific male lord, actually. Too bad I couldn't do that. Instead, I had to walk docilely between the two men that I could probably over power under normal circumstances. Meaning at a time I wasn't wearing three kimonos and actually had some sort of weapon besides my two fists. It wasn't too terribly long of a trip to the jailhouse, where I was given a cell and a pair of dark blue pants and a matching shirt. I put up fuss; how dare they think a _lady_ would wear pants? Eventually, still half-heartedly grumbling under my breath, I pulled the clothing on and shed the kimono, giving it to a guard to do whatever with. I'd probably be seeing it again soon.

For all the complaining I'd done, I was secretly pleased with my clothing. I hadn't been able to wear pants in weeks – I'd had to deal with skirts and dresses, the most uncooperative articles of clothing known to man. The rest of my day was spent curled up on the bed, my face in my arms. I forced my shoulders to shake occasionally, along with a soft sob-sounding noise, to make it seem like I'd been crying the whole time. I heard footsteps approaching my cell, so I forced a few tears so that I'd have some tear-streaks, just as the door clanged open. I peeked up, rubbing my eyes with my hands to make them red, to see a guard setting a tray of food on the bed. Then, still silent, the man left. I picked at the food, as if appalled that they would give me such food, before slowly eating it.

For five days I was stuck in this jail cell. After the second I stopped crying – I just couldn't do it anymore. I just sat on the bed, only getting up to stretch or use the toilet in the corner. My mind wandered. I wondered how my team was back at home. They'd better be in shape when I finally got home. Ryu – I hoped he was doing alright. I was never really around for him. Well, I was around more now that I was with a squad, but I was still gone a lot. Mainly, though, my mind was on Neji. How far he'd come from the genin I'd known, the mission so far. I remembered the night Noburu had attacked me, and how it had affected him. I wondered if he'd gotten home yet, and who was coming back to get me.

Just before lunch the fifth day, a guard came to my cell, interrupting my thoughts.

"Get up." I looked up, confused. After lunch I was forced to go outside with the other inmates for an hour, where I skulked against a wall, avoiding the others completely, as any finicky noblewoman would. It obviously wasn't for food, and it wasn't to go outside, so what did he want? Then I noticed he was holding the outfit I'd come to this prison in. I was being bailed out? Neji couldn't have made it there and back already, could he? I was allowed to change in a small, private room, before leaving. I walked behind the guard, wondering who was with Neji to bail me out. I was doubtful that he'd have been sent back alone. But who met me at the front was most definitely not Neji, nor was it any shinobi of the Leaf. It was Lord Noburu, in all his cocky self. I instantly shrunk back – others would think it in fear, but it was really in distaste.

"Sir, I can't go with him!" I protested weakly. "He, He-"

"Save it, Miss. He bailed you out, so we have to release you. Whether or not you stay with him is your own business." The man told me, crossing his arms over his chest. Obviously he was going to be no help. After a few more protests, none of which I think the man heard, I was turned over into Noburu's hands. Well, not his real hands, though I didn't doubt he'd try to have them on me before we parted company. We left the station, me in "fearful" silence, him in his treacherous glee. I wondered if his wife knew he'd just spent fifty thousand yen on me. Man, I was one pricey whore, that was for damn sure. I tried to leave twice, but each time he'd grabbed my arm in his crushing grip and pulled me back. His hand was now possessively on my arm. I had just about had it with this man.

"Where are we going?" I whispered.

"A surprise, my dear. It's not much farther now." Whatever it was, I really didn't want to see it. I tried to pry his fingers off with my free hand, but he just squeezed harder, until I was sure I was going to be bruised. I winced and released his hand reluctantly. He had to be some sort of shinobi, or ex-shinobi. There was no way a man with no training had a grip like that. We were approaching a building, which Noburu unlocked. He held the door open and pushed me forward a bit, all without letting go. Since I had no other choice in the matter, I warily walked into the shadowy room. Then, I was struck hard in the back of the head, and I fell to the ground. I didn't even have time to wonder what had happened before I was unconscious.


	26. Aftermath

Sorry, my loyal (and maybe not-so-loyal) fans and readers. I had my computer wiped last week, and I still have yet to get Norton or any anti-virus stuff. Naughty me, I know. However! It is Christmas! And because it is Christmas, I could not forsake you all with no post. So, I give you not one, but TWO chapters of my glorious text to read. I hope you all enjoy!

Now to my reviewers:

Snow'n'Cupcakes: I'm glad that I am living up to your standards. :D

Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl: We'll see what happens, now won't we?

Lady Phantasmagoric: It was kind of vague, so I'll answer your question there. The servants were kinda-sorta being paid off by Noburu to prove his "innocence" and he made sure they found everything, including all three ribbons.

Clarissa Avila: I'm sorry that you hated my cliffy. =[ I liked it. -evil author laughter- Anyway. Sorry that I didn't update quickly!

minredd: I'm glad you like my story enough to review! I wish I could agree with you on the future as a writer, but I suck at coming up with my own material. I'm just building off of what Masashi Kishimoto gave me. I'm trying to write my own, though . It's not going well.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six – **_Aftermath_

When I woke up, I was in a dim room with an aching head. There weren't any windows, and by the slight chill to the air, I was pretty sure I was in a basement. The floor was wooden – slightly dusty. It had definitely seen better days. The walls were stone, and while there wasn't any mold or mildew, they didn't look too terribly inviting. I definitely would not have guests come into this room if _I_ owned this building. However, I did not own the building, and I did not come here of my own volition. Knocking a person out usually means that they aren't being asked their opinion; rather, they're being asked to be held captive. I tried to sit up, only to find that I couldn't. My feet were tied together, as well as my hands, which were back to back with no room to turn around. Then, to make things even worse, my hands were then tied to my feet. Obviously this guy didn't take chances, or he knew that I was a kunoichi. Either way, I was screwed, since I couldn't form any hand seals.

So, let us recap, shall we? I currently was in the basement of an unknown house, being held against my will by some creepy man who wanted to rape me. My teammate who went for backup would expect me in jail, only to find that I was bailed out and would no longer be easily located. Because really, if a man wants to rape you and he bails you out of jail, he isn't going to let you go roaming the streets. No, he'd do just what Noburu did: tie the person up and lock them somewhere secure. I bet if I screamed no one would be able to hear me, which was all the more useless to me. Oh, and, one more thing. I was completely naked. Yep. I was sitting in this creepy cellar without a stitch on me. How's that for a confidence booster? I didn't even know what day it was. I could have been out for minutes, hours, or even a day or two. I had no idea how hard that idiot hit me. I closed my eyes, as if I were still asleep. Maybe that would buy me more time while I thought of a way out of this hole I was now in.

He'd have to untie me at some point, to get my body in any position for him to have sex with my unyielding body. I'd have a chance then. However, he was pretty strong. That was a fallback – I couldn't let that be my first plan of action. I wanted to be out of here before he came into the room, not after. However, my mind was seriously acting up. I was having a hard time thinking straight. He had hit me pretty hard. So, instead of thinking up some plan to get me out of my predicament, I was zoning out and in a half-sleep state. I wish I could say I had found a way out and snuck out with no harm done to anything but my pride, but alas, I cannot. No, I was still there, tied up, when the man walked in the room. I still had enough of my wits around me not to react at all to his entry. However, it is difficult not to react to a kick to the chest. That hurts like nothing else. My eyes flew open and I gasped for air, looking up bewilderedly at him. He was grinning down cruelly.

"Awake? Good. I'd hate for you to be asleep for this." He looked away from me to a spot somewhere on the other side of me. I turned my head to see that there was a second person – I hadn't heard him walk in. "Help me tie her into a more… suitable position." Damn. That plan to get out was most definitely not going to work. However, I was not going down without a fight. I wriggled and shifted as much as I could to keep them from being able to untie me, causing them to punch me in the back – since that was where they currently were at. When they finally managed to get my feet untied from my hands, I tried to use that to my advantage. However, one of them held my legs down while the other worked with my hands, tying something around my left wrist before untying my hands all together. I tried to move both arms, but found the left one was bound by something – I couldn't see what. No matter; I lashed out with my right hand. I caught whoever it was somewhere; he hissed in annoyance. I kept swatting at the area until he caught my arm. I tried to break free, but he had a good grip and two hands. That hand was soon tied up as well. This was not looking good for me. My legs soon met the same fate as my arms, though I did try with more desperation to get free. Then, the men were without clothes, and I was in pain.

When they were finished, the left me on the ground, still bound by the chains. My whole body was on fire. My face was going to be a mass of bruises – I'd bit at every opportunity, though as the rape went on, my strength and will depleted. My throat hurt from screaming – I'd tried to stay silent, but to no avail. They'd found a way to drive the sound that I'd tried to firmly clamp down on out of my throat. My chest, where they'd hit and kicked me when I struggled with them, would also be bruised. My nether regions were probably bleeding and a total mess – I couldn't see or feel really. My body had, after awhile, numbed that whole area out from the pain.

The next day was more of the same. I tried to put up a fight – but when you were tired, hungry, and thirsty it was hard. It didn't help that it was two against one, and that some of what they said caused me to disbelieve that anyone would come for me, especially after what had happened. I mean, honestly, when you're in such a vulnerable position and your head is loopy from trauma, it was hard not to believe, especially when you were in pain and it didn't look like it was going to end. The second day turned into a third, then the third into a fourth. It was during the fourth that things changed.

The two men were busy enjoying themselves. I was busy trying not to show weakness (and failing) while trying to fight back (feebly). By this time I was extremely hungry and thirsty. While I could go for days without eating, I needed water. Being deprived of both… I probably wouldn't last another day. Not unless they gave me sustenance, anyway. At this point, death would be a relief. I'd probably refuse anything they gave me anyway. However, during this time of distraction, something happened. I didn't notice, and neither did the men, apparently. The one that wasn't Noburu fell over backwards out of my line of sight. Before Noburu could react, he fell over on top of me. Something trickled onto my stomach, but I didn't really have time to wonder at what it was. If I had been in my right mind, I'd have realized it was blood.

"Maia!" A feminine voice. I faintly recognized it, and when she appeared in my vision I realized who it was. Tenten. Tenten was there. If Tenten was here, then Lee and Neji couldn't be too far away. Oh God, Neji! Please, please, don't let him see me like this. "You two, help me get these things off of her!" She yelled, looking over her shoulder as she tugged at my right wrist. I struggled feebly. Even though I knew in my mind they were friends, my body was still trying to defy any touch.

"It's alright, Maia. Calm down." A voice said from my left. I glanced over, and my eyes rested on Neji. I felt tears come to my eyes and roll down my cheeks. I was relieved to be saved from this God-forsaken hellhole that I had been trapped in for what felt like eternity, but I couldn't help feeling ashamed that I needed the help, or to feel completely embarrassed that it had been Neji who had to see me like this. I wasn't nearly as worried about Lee, who was untying my legs, seeing me as I was about Neji seeing me. "We'll get you out of here. Just stay still a little longer, okay?" My arms were now free, and after a few more moments, so were my legs.

"Clothes, clothes…" I heard Tenten mutter under her breath, looking around the room. I tried to push myself into a sitting position, but I couldn't muster the strength. Neji gently helped me up, ignoring how I cringed slightly at the touch. They obviously weren't going to give me the clothing of the men who'd just had their way with me, and my clothes were nowhere in sight. I had no idea what had happened to them, but I could care less. "Neji, give Maia your shirt."

"What?" He asked, as if he hadn't heard her, though everyone knew quite well that he had.

"You heard me. I can't give her mine – this is the only thing I've got, and it isn't socially acceptable for a female to walk around in public in a bra. Lee's clothing is a jumpsuit, if you've forgotten, and their-" she gestured at the dead men. "clothing is not acceptable. Give her your shirt."

"Come hold Maia up for a moment, then." He said, gesturing with one arm down at me. Tenten gently slid her arm behind my shoulders to support me, and I leaned against her almost reluctantly. Neji quickly lost his shirt, and with the help of Lee, managed to maneuver my arms into the loose sleeves. I winced and whimpered a slight bit when they touched a sensitive part – especially on my face – but there wasn't much else in the way of noise from me. Then, Neji carefully picked me up, and with some adjustments to the long shirt, I was suitable to be taken out of this awful place. I turned my face into Neji's chest and started crying silently. "Maia? Are you okay?" I nodded slowly.

"I-" My throat was dry, and I tried to swallow a bit to speak, but there was nothing to swallow. My body was dehydrated, and that wasn't good. "Water?" I asked slowly, as if not even sure myself. Then, more urgently, "Water!" It wasn't loud, no, I was probably as soft as a whisper, but hopefully the message got through.

"Tenten, Lee, do either of you have water?" Neji demanded. He either didn't or he couldn't get to his own, since his arms were full of me. His eyes weren't on me – I could just tell. It was one of those things that you know without being able to explain why you know it. Our group paused somewhere within the house, I didn't look up to see where.

"Here, take mine." Tenten said after what felt like an hour, though it could have only been seconds. I turned my head a bit to look at her and accept the water. She unscrewed the cap and I went to accept it, but my hands didn't come off my lap. Instead, she pressed the bottle to my lips, and I opened my mouth a bit so that she could let me drink. The cool liquid felt like bliss against my paper dry mouth, and even better against my sore throat. After a few moments of my eager drinking, she pulled it away from me. I made a noise of protest, but she shook her head. "You'll get sick if you drink too much, Maia. You know that." She didn't look at all happy to say that, but there wasn't much else she could do. If I were sick, it wouldn't help my condition anymore. In fact, it might worsen it actually.

"I know." I whispered, my voice sounding different to my ears. It must have sound different to the others, because Lee and Tenten looked at me funnily.

"Maia?" Neji asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"My throat." I mumbled. Speaking hurt, but it was so nice to be away from those chains. "I was…" I paused, hesitant. "They hurt me until I screamed." I told them. Just the thought made me tremble in fear. Ashamed, I hid my face again in Neji's bare chest. My face heated up a bit at that thought, but I didn't move away. I didn't want to look at my teammates. I felt Neji tense up a bit at my comment, but he relaxed his hold immediately when he felt my fear. "I haven't had water or food in days." I told them, hoping that it would entice them to move. "I need help. Please?" I whimpered. My face hurt from pressing it against Neji, forcing me to look straight upwards or anywhere ahead of us. The rest of my body was on fire – it wasn't used to being out of the position I'd been locked in for at least four days.

"We'll get you out of here, Maia." Tenten said soothingly as they moved forward again. I nodded, closing my eyes as they went outside. It was bright outside – much brighter than it was inside.

"This will hurt a bit, Maia, but we need to get you to the hospital quickly, alright? Stay with us." With that, we were moving faster. They leapt, and I knew what they were doing. We were taking a route that avoided the slower traffic. It also kept me out of view of the general population, since we – well, they – were running along the rooftops. I winced at sudden movements, and cried out softly when I hit my cheek against his chest. It was purely on accident, but it had been a hard landing. He'd apologized, but they didn't stop. It was a short trip. When they carried me into the hospital, I heard concerned voices approach us. I shied away from their touch, afraid. "Shh, Maia. They're going to help you." It was Neji again, reassuring me.

"No men." I whimpered, still curling away. They would understand. What female rape victim wanted more strange men around her? We were ushered into a room immediately, and there was a masculine voice that entered. He was instantly sent back out with a request for a female doctor as Neji laid me on the bed. The man got into an argument with Tenten about it, and I heard Lee join in the fray, but I didn't try to make out the words. They'd make sure I was taken care of. With that, I fell asleep.

I woke up with a start, sitting up, only to screw my eyes shut and fall back against the pillows in pain and out of dizziness. Obviously my head trauma was still bad. I was in a hospital – nowhere else had _that_ much white in one place. I groaned softly. My chest and stomach hurt from the movement. I steeled myself and cracked one eyelid open. No one was in the room with me. I was alone in an unfamiliar hospital, in pain, and I didn't even know what time or what day it was. Go me. The door slid open, and I turned my head slightly to see who it was. A woman in white – a nurse or doctor – and three very familiar faces; Neji, Tenten, and Lee. My ex-teammates looked worried, and I was suddenly very concerned with my condition.

"How bad am I?" I asked, relishing in the fact that my voice wasn't whisper soft. It still hurt to speak, but at least I could be louder now. Actually be heard and all that jazz. I was stronger now – as was apparent with the way I'd sat up, though it hadn't been the wisest of decisions.

"Well, you have three cracked ribs, though none of them are broken. We've mended them to the best of our ability. Your face had severe bruising, though we've healed that up completely. Your throat will be a bit sore for the next couple of days, but it should be fine soon. Your stomach had quite a bit of bruising as well, but it was healed away quite easily. There was internal damage, which we've healed as well, but the whole area will be sore for a few days. You have a bad concussion, though thankfully it hasn't addled you too terribly bad. You won't be able to walk for a few weeks – even if you didn't have the fractured ribs. We managed to get some enriched water into you – the same liquid we use for coma patients – to stabilize you. If you had arrived a day later, you might not have made it, miss. We will release you later today, but you will not be allowed to walk, do you understand? Your teammates will help you along. As soon as you get back to Konoha, make sure you go straight to the hospital for a reevaluation." The woman told me, scanning the chart every so often to prompt her. I listened half-heartedly; I really didn't want to hear what that monster had done to me. After a bit more on taking care of myself – comments that every doctor told every shinobi (who generally didn't listen either) the woman left. She probably had other patients to take care of.

"Tenten, Lee, do you think you could go down to Lord Kawahashi's home and get the things we left behind in our rooms? Take this," he passed them something, I didn't see what, but it made the other two grimace. "And tell them that it was their fault. That should guilt them into letting you to our rooms."

"Bring me scrolls, ink, and a brush, and I can seal those stupid boxes into a scroll." I said, wincing as my throat complained about my speaking. The two nodded and headed out, leaving Neji and I alone. Things were quiet for a moment before I broke the silence. "Did you guys bring me any clothes?"

"All we have are the clothes in our travel packs and the clothes that we left here." I grimaced.

"I am _not_ wearing a kimono home. No skirts either. I want pants." He smiled tiredly at me and came to sit on a chair next to my bed.

"We'll find you something. Don't worry. We'll take good care of you." My heart wished he'd said "I" instead of "we", but I didn't comment. I merely nodded instead. I looked away towards the opposite wall. I was miserable; I was a failure as a kunoichi and as a teammate. I shouldn't have needed rescuing, I should have been able to get away by myself. The chair scooted closer, and I felt a hand close over mine. I jumped and turned, looking to reassure myself that it was Neji. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly. "It's just you and me. I won't hurt you, Maia." The comfort and warmth in his voice caused me to cry again. Why did it have to be him? The man next to me moved and suddenly I was being held. It wasn't confining or forceful, it was gentle and soothing. I trembled in his hold. I hated feeling weak and helpless, as those two men had made me, but this was different. If anyone was to see me weak, I was glad it was Neji no matter how much I hated it.

I found myself slowly retelling what had happened to me. As I went, the full weight of what happened seemed to make itself real to me. I'd survived four days in that mans "care", though only barely. I had known, even then, that I would not survive there much longer. I was suddenly very glad that Neji and the others had saved me when they did. The small, rational part of my brain knew that I'd get past this. However, the larger, more frightened portion, was quite content with clinging to Neji and praying things would get better. I'd like to say I didn't cry about how bad it had been, but if I said that I'd be lying. It had been the worst experience of my life – I doubted much else would contend with it. I should have been coping better – all female kunoichis were expected to be ready to use sex as a weapon – but I was acting as a woman first and a kunoichi second. However, I didn't go into any detail. Even if I could have managed it, I could tell Neji was angry at what he was hearing. His whole body had tensed, and his hands had clenched against my skin before releasing me just as quickly.

I heard someone enter the room. No wait, I take that back. It was two people. I assumed it was Tenten and Lee, but no one said anything. There weren't any smart comments that would usually come with the scene they were faced with, but then again, the situation wasn't usual. Instead, except for soft consoling words and a few muffled sobs on my end, the room was quite silent. I pulled myself together after a bit and leaned away a bit to look over Neji's shoulder. Yes, it had been Tenten and Lee. They looked concerned and a bit awkward, as if they didn't know what they should be doing. I offered them a hesitant half-smile.

"Did you get everything?" I asked softly. I'd have to be strong here in a moment, or at least appear strong. It would be a precarious balancing act, to act and appear calm and collected, when on the inside I just wanted to curl up in a corner somewhere. The two nodded, and I sighed, gently pushing away from the warmth and comfort that was Neji's arms, completely calm and unembarrassed that my teammates had witnessed my weakness. We were trained together, and we practically knew each other like we knew ourselves. Even if Neji and I had been a bit close, I wasn't self-conscious about it. We'd practiced and trained too much to put on a show for those Lords and Ladies that it didn't bother me any longer. "Then let's get down to business. Can you hand me a scroll, some ink, and something to write on?" While Tenten used seals for weapons, the seals for objects that weren't to be used as weapons were a bit different. If you didn't want the items to come shooting out, the markings would have to change a bit, like they were on my own scrolls. Tenten produced the ink, brush, and scroll while Neji pulled a table over the bed. It was one of those little retractable ones that patients could set food on. I unraveled the scroll and looked around for something to pin the edges down with. Lee pulled out shuriken, which he placed on the edges. The light metal held the even lighter paper down easily. I nodded my thanks, and got down to business. I dipped my brush in the ink and began drawing lines and symbols on the parchment. It was a relatively easy scroll to create, and after a few minutes I was done. However, there was one drawback to the paper.

"This isn't big enough to take in the box." The paper would have had to have been a bit bigger to hold all the markings. "However, we can seal several kimonos into this one. If you would give me some of the clothes?" I asked, feeling myself tremble a bit on the inside. Those clothes, those dresses, they were the things that had got me in the position I'd been in. Since I'd had to act and dress up and be pretty, I was taken advantage of. The first set of clothing were outfits I'd never even gotten to wearing, so I wasn't as bothered by touching them. One by one, the fine silk slid from my hands into the seal on the paper. Then, I created a second seal, into which went most of Neji's clothing. I vaguely recognized the outfit Neji had worn to dinner that night. The third, and final, seal held the rest of the clothing, which was a mixture of Neji's and the ones I had borrowed. All of his went first, and then mine. Kimonos I hadn't seen, until, finally, the one _I_ had worn that night. My hands froze up on the material, and I stared down at it in horror.

"Maia, put it in the seal." Neji said calmly, with a bit of authority behind it. "Let go of the kimono." I made my fingers relax from the death grip, and it fell from my fingers. As soon as it was in and I had finished the seal, I thrust the paper away from me violently, before rubbing my hands on the cloth of the sheets underneath me. Tenten caught the paper as it fluttered to the floor and rolled it up, placing it in her pack with the rest. Instead of questioning my odd behavior, Tenten asked a different question.

"What is Maia going to wear? We're leaving soon, and she can't wear the hospital gown back to Konoha." No, no I couldn't. I'd have hated that anyway. I had no clothes of my own, save a few underclothing items and my nightclothes. I'd wear those home before I wore one of those kimonos, heck, I'd go home _naked_ before I wore one of the kimonos.

"My nightclothes," I said, looking up tiredly at the three of them. "If anything, I can wear those." My head was throbbing, and all I really wanted to do was lay down and sleep for about a month, and hopefully forget all about the last week or so. But no, instead I had to think through the pain and exhaustion to help my teammates. It was what I was trained to do. What we were all trained to do. It was all that was keeping me going, really. That, and pure determination. Tenten went to a small bag that I hadn't noticed before, where she withdrew the few possessions that were actually mine. My weapons were hopefully in that bag. I wanted them, if they were. I didn't want to be without a weapon ever again. Tenten eyed the clothing, then gave me a long look, before nodding.

"Alright. You two," She fixed her gaze on the males in the room. "Get out. Go check Maia out or something. Just don't come in until you see the door is open." They nodded and both left, gently shutting the door behind them. It wasn't like they hadn't seen me naked before. They'd just saved me in the middle of a rape, so _obviously_ they'd seen my most private of body parts. No, it was because it was the right thing to do; everyone deserved privacy from the other sex. Tenten approached me with the new clothing, and carefully helped me dress. It was awkward, having someone else dress you. It was like being an oversized doll, but whatever. It was a long-sleeved nightshirt and loose pants that tied at the waist with drawstrings. Once I was fully clothed, Tenten cracked the door open a bit, to signal that all was safe.

"Can I have my senbons?" I asked the woman as she began to cross the room back to me. She was a weapon specialist. She understood the bond a shinobi had with their weapon, or weapons in her case, of choice. They were comfortable – normal, even. Tenten nodded easily and tugged the bag open again, grabbing the sheathes with the carefully restrained senbons. It had been crazy to figure out how to setup, but I'd gotten it eventually. They were just so tiny that they were difficult to restrain – unlike a shuriken or kunai. Tenten sat one on the bed, while looking at the other quizzically. I'd never shown my teammates how to put them on, since it didn't seem to be pertinent. So, instead of trying to talk her through it, I decided to save myself a little bit of a headache and took the senbon holster and tried to pull up my sleeve. Normally I'd have no issue, but this wasn't normal. Instead of snatching the holster back, Tenten pulled my sleeve up to my shoulder, and I nodded my thanks, slipping the device on and carefully aligning it with my fingers. Well, Tenten did that too. I tried, but when I insisted it was right, she gently, but firmly, explained that unless I wanted to stab myself in the hands, I'd have to move them. I sighed and let her turn the piece minutely until they lined up properly. Then, I cinched it tight, and Tenten let the sleeve fall, moving around the bed to help me with the other.

It was as she was moving the second one around on my arm that the guys returned. They didn't seem surprised that I was wearing my weapons. They eyed them for a moment before looking back to the two of us. The two told us we were free to leave whenever we were able, and I nodded gingerly. The three grabbed their things, and Lee placed the smaller pack that held my things within his own travel bag. He was a crazy-strong man so I didn't worry about if it was bothering him. Instead;

"Can I get some painkillers before we go?" I asked, rubbing my temples with my hand. "My head is killing me, and a run back to Konoha will not be fun." They'd also help with the pain of traveling with three cracked ribs. Just walking around with them before had hurt. I vaguely realized my chest was in pain, but I was still ignoring it. I'd been ignoring it up until now, so I continued to do so. It was just one thing after another, and soon I'd have nothing to do but face the pain. I'd hide until it got to that point, but I did let my body rest, leaning back against the pillows. Neji nodded and went back out the door, presumably to get a nurse. Lee and Tenten spoke idly, their conversation stilted, neither taking their eyes off of me for more than a few moments. Neji returned minutes later, the woman from before a few steps behind.

"Before you leave, there will be enough medication at the front desk to last you until you reach Konoha." She handed me a pill with a small cup of water, which I took gratefully, before she turned to fix my teammates with a stern gaze. "This isn't our normal procedure. Normally anyone with the injuries this woman has sustained would stay for a week at the minimum, not leaving until she was able to leave on her own two feet. However, given the circumstances, we're letting you take her much earlier than that. So, you must not let her walk around, and she can't have more than one painkiller every six hours, understand? Try to take it easy on the road and don't jostle her too much, and as soon as you arrive she must go to the hospital, understand?" The three nodded dutifully. "Good. If you'll fill out this last piece of paperwork, you can leave. Take it to the front desk and turn it in before you go." The woman turned and briskly walked out.

It was almost no time at all for the others to fill out the single sheet of paper. Then, with no further ado, I was gently scooped out of my bed. I tensed, looking up to see it was Neji, before forcing myself to relax against him. It was just Neji. I'd known him forever. He helped save me, he was safe. I tried to rationalize all of this in my mind, trying to keep my breathing calm. When he'd carried me here the first time, I was still in shock. Now, with my mind clearer and being away from all that, I was panicking more than I had been when I'd been saved. I couldn't help it – and it was hard not to thrash and whimper in his grip. My eyes closed while my hands clutched at the fabric of the nightshirt I was wearing, exerting total control over my body. I forced myself not to thrash or wince, to whimper or whine. I didn't realize I was trembling from the exertion.

"Are you alright?" Neji's voice, soft in a whisper, floated to my ears, and I looked up. His eyes held concern for me, something my captors had none of. It helped me relax and my trembling stopped.

"Y-Yeah." I stammered, looking down at my hands and quickly releasing my shirt. "My head still hurts… the pain meds haven't kicked in yet." I mumbled, blatantly lying. He was one of the few who could catch me in a lie, and I was sure he knew I was lying. But, he just nodded and shifted his arms a bit in a way that was more comfortable for me. He'd probably ask again later.


	27. Readjusting

_**Super Duper Completely and Totally Important Note From Me So Please Read This Or Else No More Stories!**_

I think that was suitably dramatic enough. I hope it was. Anyway. As I said in chapter Twenty-Six - The Aftermath, I had my computer wiped. I forgot to triple check my hardrive, and as such I deleted chapter Twenty-Nine, which was a crucial chapter. Either way, I know the gist of it so I'm gonna work on re-writing it. HOWEVER! That is not why I brought you attention to this little section right here! I need ideas. I don't know what to do next after chapter Twenty-Nine. I mean, come on. I've written _Twenty-Nine_ effing chapters without asking for help or nothing. Just vague ideas for missions or whatever so I can build up to the finale. I hasta finish this one before I put in motion the ideas I've made for the sequel, I just don't know how to tie this story up how it needs to. So. Any mission ideas (I had an idea for something in the land of snow where Maia possibly ends up adopting another kid.) would be nice. Please! Else I don't have any idea what I'm going to do!

- Me

As it are Christmas, my second gift to you is Pictures! Go to my profile to view them.

I've made up a lot of this stuff, but Neji and the Narutoverse belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven – **_**Readjusting **_

I woke up to a light slap on my cheek. I looked up, bewildered; to see Tenten and Neji hovering over me, worry filling their eyes. Okay, maybe not so much on Neji's part, but whatever. He was different. I became aware of tears that were still streaming down my cheeks silently, and my body was trembling and slightly damp from sweat, and for a moment I had absolutely no idea why. They hadn't hit me hard; hell, they hadn't even hit me slightly hard, and even if they had, it would have no bearing on my being sweaty and shaking. The sky was dark, the moon slowly crossing downwards in the sky. It was pretty late. Then, the confusion that comes with waking up faded away and I recalled my dream. It was a recollection of all the worst parts of my time with Noburu and that other guy. It was an emotional scar that would take time to get over. This was the third such nightmare I'd had so far. They didn't seem to come during the day when I was drowsing in the arms of my teammates (mainly Neji), but rather after dark when we had settled for the night.

I dashed the tears away, sitting up (with some help from my team) with a sigh and glancing up at the sky. It was late evening or early morning, depending on how you looked at it. It was Tenten's watch, and since it was her watch, I had already known the night was coming to a close. She was probably the one who'd reacted first to my whimpers and soft cries. Neji, who had taken to sleeping near me, most likely woke up moments later. The first time I'd woke from such a dream, I'd been covered in a cold sweat and my shaking had been much worse. I had been in such a terror that first night, thinking that my rescue was all a dream. I'd cried into Neji's shoulder again that night, but the night after and tonight were different. I knew my dreams from reality, and after the first reaction, I was fine. I sighed, looking down at my body, whose trembling were just now ending. I needed a change of clothes. Earlier Tenten had washed my one extra set of night clothes, because of this reason. I had apologized profusely, but she just waved my words aside without a care. Now, after three nights of this, she knew what was needed. Neji took over her watch as she carefully lifted me up and hauled me to the nearby stream, where she helped me rinse off as quickly as one could with a concussion. I looked forward to being in Konoha tomorrow. We'd made good time, and soon I'd be tucked away safe and sound behind the walls of my home. Tenten helped me slip my new, clean set of clothing onto my clean, damp body, before supporting me back into the clearing. Neji frowned when he saw me staggering along, almost drunkenly, besides Tenten. He had taken my not being allowed to walk seriously, but when I was nearly Tenten's double for height and weight, it was a bit more difficult. He didn't comment, thankfully, and once we were back to my makeshift bed – Neji's pack and the wrap that went over his white pants draped over my torso. It wasn't the best bed I'd had, but it was a far-cry from the worst. Neji sat back against the nearby tree he'd been sleeping against as Tenten took up her position as guard once more. There was no way I'd fall asleep again tonight, just as I hadn't after the nightmares the previous nights. So, I huddled down under the cloth and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep until the sun rose and we'd be moving again. I'd sleep then.

We arrived at the gates of Konoha in the early evening. The gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, let us in, peering curiously at Neji and I. I knew the two slightly – we'd had the odd conversation now and again, but we weren't close. I leaned away from the two into Neji's chest unconsciously, my eyes wide as I looked at them. His arms tightened around my frame as he nodded a greeting to the men.

"Take me to Lady Tsunade." I said as we walked out of earshot.

"No, you're going to the hospital." Neji said firmly.

"I'll break out and go see her, then. I want to report in." I replied stubbornly. She was a medical nin, and she'd probably be upset that I didn't go straight to the hospital, but my sense of duty over-rode my common sense. Neji sighed, knowing full well that I'd attempt multiple times until I got my audience.

"Fine." The three of them changed their course, hauling me along to the Hokage's tower. They took the quicker route on the rooftops, sparing me from the crush of unfamiliar people. It wasn't long until we arrived and we were inside.

"Neji Hyuuga, Tenten, Rock Lee, and Maia Haru; reporting in." Neji said to the receptionist as we came within earshot. She looked up at the four of us, taking in everything before nodding, her eyes going to a piece of paper on her desk.

"Lady Hokage is available. Please go right up." She told us, to which my teammates thanked her and went up the flights of stairs that led to our Hokage's office door. Tenten rapped on the door, and after a moment a confused "Whaaaaat?" came from the other side. The three standing shinobi sighed, understanding that their Hokage had been asleep at her desk again. Tenten politely knocked again, and this time the woman on the other side called them in. Lee, ever the gentleman, held the door open for the rest of us before entering the room behind us. Tsunade's eyes scanned over us before resting on me.

"Why isn't she in the hospital? She's obviously badly injured." She demanded, looking up accusingly at Neji. Before the others could reply, I spoke.

"I told them to bring me here to report, Lady Hokage." I replied, my voice the strongest it had been in days. My throat was almost fully healed, much to my pleasure, and so were the bruises on my face. "It was my fault they had to return to Kusagakure, after all." Neji growled softly under his breath, since he'd been trying to get me to stop blaming myself about the whole thing. He didn't speak up against what I said, though, since it technically was the truth. Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling loudly before replying.

"Fine. You're going straight to the hospital after this, whether you like it or not." She told me, glaring, as if expecting me to argue. I nodded complacently. That was fine with me. Neji sighed, shifting me slightly in his arms. Tsunade pointed at a chair wordlessly, and he gently placed me in it. I rested against the padded object as Neji started the report. He started at the beginning, since he hadn't had time when he arrived, as I had been in jail. When he got to the part where we'd split up, he looked at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat before explaining my part, speaking slowly, making sure I didn't leave anything out. Then Neji took over until I was arrested, and I closed my eyes and sighed softly before speaking again. I told her what happened to me, up until my teammates arrived. It was then that I found out that Neji had killed both men. Tsunade sighed at that, but let us continue, until our tale reached home.

"I hope you realize the position you've put me, and your clan, in, Neji. Lord Noburu was one of the most powerful business men, and you've just killed him."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." He replied, as if he were unperturbed by this fact. I was surprised. I hadn't thought he was _that_ important. "I apologize." He bowed slightly at the waist.

"Oh, stand up." She said, waving a hand imperiously at him. "If I had known the situation was as it was, I'd have most likely had you kill him anyway. He's a nasty piece of work." The woman grimaced, before looking back to me. "I'll see to it that Maia gets to the hospital. You three go home and rest."

"But-" My teammates went to protest. Lady Tsunade cut them off sharply.

"Go! Rest, and that's an order." She said, putting her hands on her hips. Tenten and Lee sighed in acquiescence, while Neji rebelliously held her gaze for a moment before backing down as well. The three left, Tenten softly closing the door on the two of us.

"Maia, how are you?" Tsunade asked, coming to lean against her desk in front of me. I shook my head before realizing how bad of an idea that was. She waited patiently as I screwed my eyes shut and waited for my head to stop throbbing.

"Not well, my Lady. I have a concussion so bad that I can't walk straight, and my nightmares make it nearly impossible to sleep. Any strange male, or even vaguely strange, makes me very wary without any reason. I know, rationally, that I shouldn't act like this, but I can't help it, and it's driving me near-crazy! Izumo and Kotetsu were guarding the gate when we came in, and I felt afraid of them, and I've met and worked with both at some period of time." I confessed to the woman. If I couldn't tell her what was wrong, being my Hokage and a medical-nin, then there was almost no one I could tell. "I almost reacted badly to Neji, who carried me home, the first day. It took everything I had not to go into a panic attack." I looked at her beseechingly. "Please, tell me there's something we can do to fix this." She smiled reassuringly at me.

"We'll find a way to make this right, don't worry. For now, let's just get you to the hospital, alright?" I nodded as the woman called for Sakura, one of her students. I hadn't seen the pink haired female in awhile, not since I'd been to the Suna, in fact. The woman entered the room, looking hurried. Obviously when the Hokage called, one answered immediately. "Maia needs to be taken to the hospital. Could you please take care of her?" Tsunade said, in that tone that made an order out of a request. The woman bowed slightly.

"Of course, Tsunade-sensei." She replied, coming over to me. "Here, let me see what I can do." The woman looked over me briskly, checking my pupils and vitals. "Her concussion is bad, but she should be able to make it to the hospital without any repercussions." Sakura declared. Tsunade nodded and gestured for us to leave. Sakura helped me up and draped one of my arms over her shoulders. "Let's go, Maia."

A good twenty minutes later – we took the roof route – we entered the hospital. Sakura called for a nurse to lead us to a room, and the two of us walked down a hallway. As we went down the bright, white halls, men – doctors, nurses, or patients – would pass from time to time, and I'd flinch away from them unconsciously. Finally, we entered a room that was empty, where Sakura helped me onto the bed.

"So, what happened to get you a concussion, Maia?" I sighed and tried to remove myself as completely as possible from the information I would be divulging.

"Neji and I were trying to get information from the Lords that came together for some meeting or whatever. I drew the attention of an unsavory man named Noburu, who attempted to rape me at the first party of the gathering. So, I got arrested for falsifying evidence against him, because I made the damage look a tad bit worse than it was. Then, he bailed me out and kept me locked away in some building for four days without food or water. He knocked me out to do it – which is where the concussion came from." I paused, taking a breath. "But, I don't care about that. I want to make sure I'm not pregnant." I told her, looking up at her with more courage than I felt. Her eyes widened, raising one eyebrow in curiosity. From the look on her face, she was obviously looking for a tale of a scandalous affair between Neji and I. Too bad I couldn't give her that. "Noburu and some lackey of his used me for those four days. They're now dead. Neji killed them." She nodded in understanding, the look of hope changing to one of mild pity.

"Lay back on the bed and we'll see if there's anything there." I complied and let the medical nin do what she did best.

I was trapped in the hospital for two and a half weeks, to allow my ribs to heal. I wasn't, thank goodness, pregnant, which was one less thing to be worried about. Just about everyone I knew had been to visit me in the short period of time I'd been home. The most predominant were my teammates – both new and old – and Ryu. The exposure to the others – especially the males – was strictly limited at first, but the exposure to them and my own will helped me get a grip much better than if I had left the hospital without having any male visitors. That would have been bad. They made me talk to a psychiatrist, to make sure I wasn't going to throw myself off of a cliff as soon as I got out of this place – which I wasn't. I was quite happy with being alive, and I wasn't going to ruin it for something like this. No. So, I waited, alone, to be released. They'd told me I would be going home today, but I'd yet to see anyone to let me go yet. I sighed, and then found myself fiddling with the ring Neji had given me at the beginning of the mission. Those men hadn't taken it from me, since it didn't hinder their ability to be with me. I found solace in it now – it helped distract me. Besides, I liked the ring.

The door slid open, and I sat up, turning my head to look at the visitor. It was a nurse who was holding some forms. Finally, I was getting out of here! After the whole fill-these-out-and-don't-get-hurt nonsensical speech the woman gave me, I quickly wrote all the pertinent information down on the forms in the corresponding boxes and lines. There was a knock at my door as I was about halfway through the paperwork. It slid open to reveal Neji carrying a small bag.

"I thought you'd like to have some clothes to leave in." He told me, setting the bag on the bed at my feet. I smiled up at him gratefully.

"Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you." I told him, feelingly. He'd rescued me from that monster and understood what was needed even when I hadn't said anything yet. He was my partner on that stupid mission, who'd listened to me rant and played as my protector. He was the man closest to me, closer than Ryu – who lived with me – or Lee, who was my other old teammate. I would trust him with my life and my thoughts; though others I had trusted my life to before, very few were privy to my thoughts, even of my teammates. He could sense when I was lying, which was annoying, and he was a jounin just as I was.

"You'd survive. You're a fighter." He replied firmly. If it hadn't been for his speed in returning home and then back to me in Kusagakure with our team, I wouldn't be here right now. This was an ongoing argument between the two of us. He held out his hand. "Here, I'll fill those out while you change." I passed him the clipboard and pen before swinging my legs off the bed. As soon as I was allowed to, I'd begun to move around my room, to keep my body from forgetting how to walk and all that. Concussions weren't the best of things to have, especially when one wanted to keep their motor and vocal skills. I snagged the bag off the bed and walked into the small bathroom attached to my room. Quickly I slipped into my normal kunoichi clothes – my gray tunic, pants, sleeves, and shoes, along with my hitai-ate. The only things missing were my weapons, but I'd just have to deal with that. I tied my long hair back, pulling it away from my feet. I'd braid it later. I folded the hospital clothes to the best of my ability and carried it out with me, setting it back on the bed. Neji was diligently writing on the papers, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to give them back. So, instead of demanding them back, I sat on the edge of my bed until he finished a few minutes later. It wasn't like he didn't know me well enough to know what went on those papers. The same went for me – I could fill out the hospital paperwork for everyone on both of my teams. The two of us left the room together, and I gently threaded my arm through his, leaning against him slightly. This was the first time I'd be leaving the hospital in a few weeks – and before then I hadn't been in the best of conditions. He didn't comment or make any more to make me feel unwelcome. He handed in the papers and then we exited into rain. I smiled good-naturedly.

"It would figure the day I get released would be a rainy day. Oh well, at least there will be less traffic, right?" I said optimistically. He nodded lightly down at me, gently tugging me down the street in the general direction of my house. A companionable silence fell between the two of us as we made our way briskly through the streets. I couldn't think of a time spent with Neji that we hadn't fallen silent, without any need to fill the quiet between us. Neither pressured the other to speak; it was an easy form of trust and companionship. It wasn't long before we were before the door to my apartment.

"Would you like to come in?" I offered politely. He nodded in acquiescence, and I turned to unlock the door. It was a weekday, so Ryu should be at school right now. As my hand closed around the doorknob to open it, Neji caught my arm, bringing the hand back where he could see it.

"You kept it?" He asked, gazing at my face, not stating openly what he was talking about. I was confused for half a moment, before blushing slightly, realizing that the ring was on that hand.

"No one took it back, so I didn't think there was anything wrong with keeping it…" I stammered. "I mean, I like it. I don't have many pretty things like this." I said, before clapping my free hand over my traitorous mouth. His eyebrow raised.

"It's fine. Lady Tsunade didn't mention it to me when I returned. Mine is in my room, where I left it." So, he still had his too, hmm? I nodded slowly, tugging my arm from his grip to open the door. I gestured for him to go in first, after which I followed and shut the door behind me. We were both soaked from the downpour outside.

"I'll get you a towel, just give me a second." I told him, throwing the last word over my shoulder as I disappeared into the bathroom. I reappeared with two towels, one of which I handed to him. "I can look around and see if I can't scrounge up any clothes you can fit, if you'd like." I said tentatively. Staying in wet clothes couldn't be the best thing for him.

"No, but thank you. I should be going home soon. You need to prepare to train with your team once more, and I shouldn't distract you." He told me. "Feel free to visit Lee, Tenten, and I for training again. I'm sure they would appreciate it." He said 'they' as if he weren't a part of the team. As if he wouldn't appreciate my visiting, my training with him and the others. That wasn't right, though, not really, was it? We were pretty close – and that was before our most recent mission together. Before I could read too far into it, he held out the towel, which I automatically accepted. "I'll see you around. I'm glad you're well again. If you need anything, ask one of us." He told me politely, in that calm, collected manner that was Neji's way of speaking. I smiled lightly and nodded.

"Of course. Thank you for walking me home."

"Any time." And with that, he ducked out into the rain, leaving me alone in the empty apartment.

When Ryu returned home a few hours later, he found me at my desk fiddling with my poisons. I'd been there since Neji had left, keeping my mind and hands active.

"You're home!" He cried, dropping his pack at the door to come over to me. He didn't recklessly throw himself against me in a hug, for which I was grateful. I set down my tools and turned to him, opening my arms to him. He didn't hesitate in throwing himself into them, burying his head in my shoulder for a few moments before pulling away.

"What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be staying at Tenten's?" I asked him, putting my hands on my hips in emphasis. No one had told him I was coming home – that had been evident by the way he'd greeted me. When I was away, he was supposed to stay at Tenten's home, just so that I knew someone was looking out for him.

"Tenten told me you were at home when I got there, so I came here." I'd figured Tenten would have been out training – I guess I figured wrong. Ah well. I relaxed my stance with a nod.

"Alright. Well, go do your homework and I'll make something for dinner soon, okay?" I told him with an easy smile. He nodded reluctantly – honestly, what kid wants to do homework? – before grabbing his bag and disappearing into his room. I finished up the poison I had been making before bottling it away carefully. After quickly cleaning up the mess I had made, I went and washed my hands before preparing fish for dinner. I finished within the hour and the both of us sat down to eat. We didn't linger over dinner once it was finished; I because my shinobi tendencies to do things quickly was instilled into my very being, and Ryu because he had more homework to do. I turned in early after setting my alarm to wake me up early. With that, I fell asleep.


	28. Wanted

Alright, so it's the last day of the year! Most people pride themselves on posting on the first day of the year, but I say screw them I'm going to be different and be excited about today instead. So, yeah. It's the last day! :D

Anyways, I digress.

Here's your long awaited [okay, about a week? That's not _that_ long, is it?] chapter. And, to be infuriatingly difficult, I left you with a deliciously frustrating cliff hanger. I know, I know, I'm so horrible. I love you too, you wonderful readers [But if you skip ahead I won't love you nearly as much!]. I laugh as I write this, knowing how very frustrated _I'd_ be if I were reading this. However, once I finish doing some English homework [. Due on Tuesday -sigh-] I'll start work on 29! Maybe, just _maybe_, I'll get a post up tomorrow/Sunday. But don't get too terribly hopeful! I hate dashing hopes, but I haven't started the next chapter since I accidentally deleted it in the effing computer wipe [still angry about that].

Alright. Here's my response to the reviews [only three =/] and then we'll get this story rolling!

**Lady Phantasmagoric**: .; She's already a genin sensei? In any case, I think I figured something out that will be wonderful and fun. Hopefully.  
**Clarissa Avila**: You're right. I could change it, but I'm not going to. And, as I said to Lady Phantasmagoric, I think I have an idea, so thanks anyway!  
**Kaulit-Twins-Fangirl**: I have no idea. In all honesty, there may or may not even be one - yes, I know, how shockingly horrible. Even if there is one, I can guarantee you it won't be explicit - it'll be like the scene with Noboru and the stranger.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight – **_**Wanted**_

The next morning I got ready for training. It had been awhile, so it was bound to be interesting. Ryu left a few minutes before me to get to the Academy on time. I lingered over my breakfast before putting the dishes in the sink – I'd wash them later. Any more delaying and I'd be late. I snatched up my kunai holster and backpack, sliding them on before stepping outside. I turned and locked the door before going downstairs to the street level. The sky was clear and sunny – not a hint of the rain that had been around just the day before. As I stepped out onto the street, I realized just how many people were out and about on a sunny morning. I realized also how many of those people were strange men.

I'd met a few strange men in my stay at the hospital – but not a throng of them all at once. Even though, as the rational half of my brain pointed out, I wasn't meeting them, it still made me hesitate. I stood in the shadow of my apartment, watching the people move along, pushing and shoving their way along in some cases. Then movement near me caught my eye, and I turned to see my three old teammates standing a few feet away.

"Thought you'd like some company." Tenten called as I made my way towards them gratefully. I tried not to feel like I was being a coward, hiding from those I was afraid of. It wasn't my fault that strange men freaked me out – it wasn't even that they were strange, it was that they were men that I didn't trust. I trusted Neji and Lee, so they were safe men. The four of us walked in a sort of line, with Lee on the far left, followed by Tenten, myself, and then Neji on my right. We always walked like this. At least, we always walked like this in town. When on a mission, generally Neji was in the back while the rest of us were scattered among the three other defensive positions – front, left, and right. It was nice, the camaraderie the four of us had. Not many could say that they had complete trust in the ones they were close to – sure, there was trust, but not the amount the four of us had. We would, and had, trusted our teammates with our lives and safety. Me more than most, seeing how I'd been carried back twice now from a mission.

The trip wasn't that long, though it felt like it took an eternity. My teammates – that is to say, Lee and Tenten – were chatting, making noise, but my focus was on those around me. I was making sure no one came _too _close to me, because if they did, I didn't know what I'd do. Neji was being his same calm, quiet self, standing aloof from the rest of the conversation while gracing us with his presence. We were used to it; he'd been like this for as long as we'd known them. I knew it was a front for others, mostly. I'd seen behind it once or twice. Where Lee and Tenten were closer to each other, Neji and I were the same. Closer, actually, what with the lover act. Still, when he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking, no one would be able to see past the mask.

We finally reached the bridge that signaled our parting. From this point on there weren't many strangers, so I'd be fine. We said our goodbyes, and, after I told them I'd meet up for practice after training my team, we parted ways. I made my way along quickly before I lost my nerve and ran home like some frightened child. I'd get over it, I just needed time. I reached the clearing to see my students there. They'd visited me in the hospital, but they obviously didn't expect to see me. They were already working out. Hanabi and Daichi were sparring, while Nobori was sitting in the shade with a bowl and gloves. I grinned. I could remember doing the same thing when I was a genin. I stood back and watched the spar, wincing as Daichi was laid into by Hanabi. Soon he was unable to fight back, as she'd deadened the nerves in his arms, and he was forced to surrender. I applauded, startling my three protégés.

"Very nice work. Besides sparring, what else have you been doing?" Once they filled me in that Tenten and Lee had come periodically to work on their evasion, speed, and weight training, I nodded with unfeigned joy. Those two would have worked my kids to the bone, that was for sure. They'd have been kept in shape while I was out doing my mission. I had Nobori finish what he was doing before we worked on minor things, to see where they were. Evasion, weight, speed, we even did a keep-away exercise. It was hard, grueling work on my body, since I hadn't been able to be in action for awhile, but I kept at it without complaint. If these genin could keep up, I'd certainly do it without making them aware of my discomfort. They knew as well as my older team that which had happened to me – and they'd insist that I not push myself too hard. But that was what I needed. I needed to get back in shape and I needed to work – if not for the physical aspect, but for the distraction factor. Working on becoming better than I once was would keep my mind off of being frightened silly of men. That wouldn't work all the time – since I wasn't training when I walked through the town, but if a male chuunin came up to me in my sparring zone, I'd be better off. Being able to walk through town without freaking out would take time, patience, and a lot of will to get it done, but it would happen. I just had to work at it, just like I had to work at getting better.

Finally, when I deemed the four of us – okay, the three of them – worked out enough for the day, I sent them to do whatever it was they did when I wasn't around. When they were gone, I went to find my other teammates. They would still be there, they'd promised they would be. When I entered the clearing, I was met with a kunai flying at me, which I had to dodge around, throwing one of my own in response without even thinking about it. Because I didn't allow myself to carry poisons when I practiced with my teams, it wasn't a poisoned kunai, though it very well could have been. I looked up when I didn't hear the kunai hit anything, and saw Tenten twirling it between her fingers. Lee and Neji were resting in the shade of a tree – obviously they had just recently ended a spar.

"Come on, lazy bones. Let's work." Tenten said cheerfully, throwing my kunai back at me with deadly accuracy. She was challenging me to a spar, which I accepted. Even though I was technically a jounin, I was an out of shape jounin. She, a chuunin, would be a decent challenge for me. I ducked the flying blade as I ran at the woman, closing in on her. Since I was a poison user, I was at a distinct disadvantage – I couldn't use my senbons or any of my disabling poisons in practice. This was because the senbons were poisoned, and the poisons would be frowned upon in practice. I was being taught to survive without them, even though I relied on them in the real world. Instead, I dug out three kunai, one of which had a paper bomb attached, before throwing them at her, dodging away before it exploded. She saw the bomb as well and leapt away from it, and incidentally, away from me. As the smoke billowed, I found a decent hiding spot in a tree, cloaking myself among the leaves as I watched for her to reemerge. However, she had to have seen me go for the spot, for a handful of shuriken came flying my way, and I had to drop from the branch or get hit with them.

I was out in the open, but she was in hiding somewhere, but that wouldn't last long. She specialized in weapons, so as soon as she made a move, she'd be flushed out. A movement behind me signaled where the attack was coming from. I whirled and ducked as a kunai narrowly missed me, before dodging a punch. I moved backwards, defensively, making hand seals. Then, forming the last one, I called out the name of my attack, "Leaf Blades", and leaf-shaped blades of chakra flew towards Tenten with accuracy that couldn't be doubled outside of a jutsu, for even if she moved, they followed. She managed to dodge two narrowly, causing them to careen into a tree, but the rest hit her, causing minor cuts and gashes on her back, arms, and legs. They weren't life threatening, only annoying. Now, if I wanted them to be life threatening, I could have made it so, but this wasn't a duel to the death – it was just practice. As such, I only put a little chakra into them. Still, the wounds made her slower, and I managed to pin her soon thereafter. After she gave in, I used my minor knowledge of healing to close the more major wounds, leaving a few cuts for her to bandage instead of many. I could only do minor healings, so anything further than that was out of my hands – so it was a good thing we contained ourselves. Then again, I was exhausted from the work I'd put my students through and then this spar. This was the most my body had done in a great long while. The other three worked out a bit longer, and I joined in on some taijutsu practice after my body had stopped complaining that I was going to collapse before we finished.

As we used to, the four of us walked home together, and I was a tad bit more animated that I was before hand, putting on a bold face before my friends. I was trying not to appear afraid of the men around me, or Lee and Tenten would insist on taking me everywhere, and that could get rather stifling, since they'd probably force Neji to come too. I'd have three nursemaids following me around. Yeah, I could do without that, even if it meant I was stuck in my house until I summoned the courage to get to the training grounds again by myself tomorrow. I must have done a decent enough job, because Lee and Tenten deemed me alright enough to let me walk off without them, allowing them to head in the direction of their homes while Neji and I walked towards our own. He lived further than I did, but we were in the same direction, so it was all good. We'd done this many times. It was a quiet walk, but I stayed a bit closer to Neji than I had before, since my left side was completely open to anyone who dared come near. All too soon we reached the place where we were to go separate ways. I gazed down towards my house, noting how many people were between me and it. Neji made to walk away, not even pausing, and without even thinking my hand darted out and grabbed his sleeve. He looked back at me, one eyebrow arched in a silent question as I looked down at my feet, my face coloring in embarrassment.

"Would you… would you walk me home? Please?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly with the fear that he'd leave me in the middle of the road. I didn't know what I'd do if he left me here alone in the middle of the crowded street. Probably curl up in a ball or freak out and attack some innocent.

"All you have to do is ask." He said gently, retracing the handful of steps he'd taken away from me. I released the breath I'd been holding in relief. He draped an arm over my shoulders and tugged me along, allowing me to press against his side. His warmth against my side and across my shoulders relaxed and reassured me.

"You knew I wouldn't be able to go home alone." I told him, after a moment of silence. "I fool the other two all the time, but you always see through my façade." I peered up at him. "How come you didn't this time?"

"I wanted you to ask. If you wanted to try to go home alone, I would have let you." He told me coolly, looking ahead.

"What if I hadn't asked for whatever reason and I had a major panic attack?" I asked, mildly annoyed with his demeanor. I didn't notice the coy looks we were getting from the townsfolk, what with me pressed against him like I was.

"I wouldn't have just left you. I'd have made sure you got home." He looked down at me then. "I won't leave you to the wolves. You need time to heal, Maia, and I, and the others, will help you." We arrived at my apartment not too long after.

"Thanks for bringing me home, Neji." I said, pulling away from him to stand in front of him.

"If you need company for any reason, don't hesitate to ask, alright?" He said, looking down at me. I smiled brightly up at the stoic man.

"Sure. I'll get you to go shopping with me." I teased, laughing at the face he made, before sobering up. "In all seriousness, I doubt I'll be going anywhere for awhile, except to training and the occasional trip to get food and herbs." He nodded.

"As I said, if you want company, just ask. I'd be happy to oblige."

"You don't have to do that, you know. Just because it happened during our mission doesn't mean you have to make up for anything. It wasn't your fault." I told him, completely aware that he probably felt guilty about the incident during our mission.

"It wasn't your fault, either." He growled. He understood my mind far too well. "I couldn't protect you then, but I can do it now, alright?" Neji didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he turned on his heel and left me standing in front of my apartment. I stared after him a moment before scampering up to my abode, not wanting to be out in the open too much. Ryu was already home, working on something the school had given him for homework. I shut and locked the door behind me, letting my pack slip off my back onto the floor by the door with a soft thump before sitting on the couch, pondering Neji's actions. He was being overly protective, and while it was nice, I felt like I was reading far too much into it. He was only concerned for my welfare, and since I'd been hurt while under his care, but other than that, there was no reason for him to be so overly protective like he was being. But then again, there was that night after Noburu had first attacked me, when Neji had acted so strangely. I hadn't questioned him then, either though. I doubted I'd ever question Neji on this subject though. With that thought, I went to the kitchen to cook dinner.

The next morning, and the mornings there after, Neji walked with me to practice. At practice I trained just as hard as my genin, to regain what time had taken away. My body quickly re-adapted to my lifestyle, especially since I trained twice a day. I was soon back to my top fighting form in a matter of weeks. But those weeks were long and painful indeed. The first week was the worst, since I was pushing myself harder than I had in the weeks before, since I had been confined to a bed for a long time. I practiced speed and strength with my old teammates as if I were a genin once more, when just hours before I had trained my own team. Neither team commented on my lack of strength, but they did help me to gain it back. They understood my need to get back in shape and my determination to get there.

Halfway through the second week I absolutely _had_ to go shopping or starve. I didn't want to impose on Neji, and Ryu was doing something for school, so I went out alone to the store. I did decently in getting there, and I even managed to get the groceries, but the clerk was a male. I'd have to have actual one-on-one conversation with him to get my groceries. I trembled at the thought of interacting with a strange male, but I lifted my chin in determination and moved forward, carefully placing the items on the counter for him to ring up. If the man noticed I was shaking, he was tactful enough to not say anything. Instead, he made the same small talk that every other store clerk was known for.

"Did you find everything alright, ma'am?" I nodded, a quick jerky movement of my head. I kept my eyes down towards the groceries that I had just finished placing on the counter. Undeterred, the man continued the conversation. "That's good. Is this all for you today, ma'am?" Once more I nodded quickly. He noted my silence at that point and let the conversation drop at that, quickly ringing up my items. He told me the total cost of the items I'd selected, and I rummaged through my pockets for the wallet of money I had, before pulling out the correct amount of currency. I held it out to the man, who accepted it easily. However, when he took the money, he managed to grab my hand just enough to completely through me into a panic attack. It wasn't even anything serious – when he took the money his fingers closed over the sides of my hand, and pulled me gently while taking the bills away. He obviously didn't mean anything by it, but it made me lose the fragile stability I had managed to hold so far.

Without even thinking about it I darted back a few steps to get away from my would-be captor. My hand delved into the kunai pouch I always carried on me now, grabbing a kunai with some sort of thread on it. My arm lifted, bringing the kunai up, and at the last second I realized what I was doing and altered the trajectory of the already-in-motion throw, causing the kunai to dig into the wall less than a foot from the man's body. He was staring wide-eyed at me, clutching the money in one hand. I was shaky and sweating, but I managed to swallow hard and try to collect myself long enough to finish this. I glanced at the kunai and only belatedly realized what kunai I had thrown. Even if I couldn't tell what the material was, I could see the color. It was a crimson-red, the sign of my most painful poison. My eyes turned to the man again, scanning him for any injury.

"Are you hurt? Did the blade touch you?" I asked, afraid I'd hurt him, but more afraid to go near him to find out. Tsunade would never forgive me if I hurt some innocent bystander with my fear. He shook his head rapidly, and I sighed in relief. "G-good." I stammered. "Don't touch it. I-I'll send someone. To get it, and my things." I told him, my body beginning to convulse. I had to get out of there, before I completely lost it. As I fled, I didn't head home. It was further away, and being alone would do more harm than good in this situation. Instead, I went to the one I could trust to help me, no matter what they were doing.

By the time I reached the gates to the Hyuuga compound, I was shaking all over. The two guards spotted me almost immediately – I knew all of them just about.

"Maia, what are you doing here?" One asked, taking a few steps forward. "Are you alright?"

"Is… Is Neji… here?" I gasped out, my arms wrapping around my chest, as if I could keep myself from shaking into bits.

"He's out training, Maia."

"H-Hanabi, then." Either of the two would do – though I'd really much rather see Neji. Hanabi was another teammate, though, and I knew she would be in.

"Go right ahead, Maia. Do you need assistance?" The guard asked, reaching for me. I shook my head and stumbled back a few steps.

"N-No. No." I told him; my luck that the day I'd visit in a mess the two guards would be male. "I know… I know the way." He nodded and took a few steps away, letting me pass. I scampered past and into the compound, praying that Hanabi would be in her room. Luck was with me – she was just exiting. Her eyes widened as she spotted me.

"Come in, Maia-sensei. What can I get for you?" She asked, reopening the door quickly before ushering me inside.

"C-Can you get Neji? Or one of my other… other teammates?" I asked, through the tremors. I needed to sit down. I collapsed on the edge of the bed, looking at her. "Please?" She nodded.

"Don't worry. We'll be back soon." She shut the door firmly behind her, and I let my body go. I'd fought it the whole way – if I hadn't I'd have probably been unable to do nothing more than lay in a heap. Now it was all I could do not to fall into a crying mess, unable to control myself in the least. I was a kunoichi, damn it. I should be behaving like one – not like some civilian who has never known pain.

Yet it was so hard to get such reasoning into my heart, where in my head it was all so clear.

I sat back on the bed and covered my face with my hands – all I could do until the shaking stopped. It was at its peak – how I could tell by the way my body moved I wasn't sure, I just knew it for fact. Then, slowly, the tremors slowed, making it easier to breathe and think. I heard fast-moving footsteps in the hall, before the door was carefully tugged open. I lifted my head, tucking strand of hair that had come out from my braid behind my ear. Neji and Tenten stood in the doorway; Tenten looked uncertain, but Neji strode forward into the room confidently. After all, it had been him I'd ran to when I was in need.

"Maia. Are you alright? Hanabi said you were in trouble." I nodded, as the last of my tremors left my body.

"I-I…" I trailed off. I didn't want to tell them that I'd nearly killed a civilian. "I nearly killed an innocent man." I told them slowly, looking down at the ground. There. It was out in the open. No secrets, that's how it should be between us. I heard Tenten's gasp, sharp in the silence. "If the kunai hadn't… hadn't killed him…" I paused, taking a shuddering breath. "He'd have gone mad with Pain. I-I don't have the antidote on me. I couldn't have touched him." I admitted, tears flowing freely down my face. I wasn't crying from fear – that was long over. I wasn't even crying because of what was done with me, that was in the past. No. I was crying because that man would have died for no reason, and it would have been my fault.

And I was ashamed.

Footsteps approached me, and then a weight made the bed dip down. I glanced up, bewildered. Neji sat there, looking down at me with his usual, expressionless look. "It's alright. You didn't kill him, or harm him, right? Why not?" His tone was cool and patient, gentle and kind; those were words that, at one point in time, could have never described him. How far he had come.

"My body and heart reacted, when he touched me." I whispered. "It was an accident – he was just taking my money for the goods I bought." I licked my lips. "Before I released it, I made my hand fly wide, so that it would miss. It _had_ to miss. If not…" I let my words trail off. I didn't want to end that sentence.

"It doesn't matter what might have happened, Maia. You didn't harm him, though you could have. It's alright."

"I-I left my things. The kunai and the goods. Could someone get them? I can't go back there."

"I'll do it." Tenten said into the silence that followed. I flashed her a grateful smile before she turned and walked back down the hallway, half-shutting the door for privacy. It was quiet for a few long minutes. Finally, Neji broke the silence, when it was apparent that I would not.

"Why did you come here?" Neji asked.

"You said… you said I could. Whenever I needed you." I said, in a small voice. Was he angry that I had come?

"Maia." The word came out as a sigh. "There's no need to be afraid. I'm not mad." As always, it was as if he could read my thoughts. Most would find it uncanny, even nerve-wracking that a person could read them so thoroughly. I had accepted it for fact, though. I was used to it; it was just Neji. I didn't say anything in response, and we lapsed into companionable silence once more. Then, I stood, ready to leave.

"I should go. Tenten will be here soon – I'll meet her at the gate." I said to him, moving to go past him. Neji reached out and gently grabbed my wrist as I moved in front of him, pulling me lightly. Unsure of what he was doing, I let him – I trusted him with my whole being.

My eyes widened as our lips met.


	29. Unexpected

I'm sorry for the length! It's kind of short, but in this case I think the quality more than surpasses the quantity. I'm sure that you will all agree with me [and not because you feel my mighty writer wrath]. Anyways. I actually just finished writing this, because I realized I had nothing better to do than write my chapter for you guys! You should be happy :D. I'm in the writing mood, so I might start on 30 as well. Geeze! That's like... a lot of chapters. O.o Alright. -excited- On to the replies to my reviews, and then the story!

**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl:** I'm glad you're so excited. I think you'll like this next chapter.  
**Clarissa Avila:** Well, I updated early just because I love you all that much. I'll see about getting another up late in the week, but school starts again Monday and then we're prepping for exams. -yay-  
**Lady Phantasmagoric**: It's all good. It made me laugh slightly, but then I was feeling a tad bit disappointed. And now it's all good again. :D  
**Snow'n'Cupcakes:** I'm not sure what to say to that. Please don't hyperventillate? Does that work as a response?

Sadly, Naruto and all it's characters [Neji included =/] Don't belong to me. Not even Daichi or Nobori belong to me. =[

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine – **_**Unexpected**_

The instant our lips touched his fingers released my wrist. There was nothing holding me in place, save pure and utter shock. Of anything he could have done, this was literally nowhere near the top of the list. After a few long moments of shock and confusion, my knees gave way, physically tearing my mouth from his. I stared up at him, my eyes never leaving his face, with my hands resting on the cool wood of the floor beneath me. His eyes gazed back unblinking, cool and unreadable. There was a short pause before Neji's voice filled the silence.

"Maia, why aren't you shaking? Or crying?" What was he talking - oh. Shaking and crying were my symptoms of a panic attack. Anytime strangers came near me or touched me, or if I even thought I was to be alone with strangers - especially strange men - I'd freak out. My eyes dropped to the floor as my mind raced. I couldn't jeopardize our friendship right now - it would half kill me to lose whatever connection I have to him right now. Because I couldn't admit to my closest friend my deepest secret.

That I was in love with him.

No, I could never admit that to him - not now anyway. My emotional state was so overbalanced that telling him such a thing would almost kill me. It was a risk - and even though I was accustomed to taking risks, I couldn't this time. At best he'd gently blow me off or laugh at me - the worst would mean I'd probably never see him again, and I couldn't bear any of that. After all, this was the Hyuuga prodigy we were talking about - he was aloof from any human emotion for the most part. Not that I wasn't saying he couldn't fake it - he'd done a spectacular job in our last mission. He just didn't show - and didn't really seem to feel - any emotions. It was odd.

"I-" I started to speak, before quickly revising what I was going to say. I have no idea what I was going to say with that beginning, but I was sure it wasn't good. "We're teammates. Lee and Tenten are close, and you and I are close. Closer still since our last mission." I said all of this with my eyes on the floorboards.

"Liar." The word was a whisper of sound. It was almost frustrating how well he could read me - I could read him a bit, but nothing like he had for me. Then again, it went to the whole no-emotion thing. He could read me like an open book, but I could only see a word here or there before the covers snapped shut again. I bit the inside of my lip.

"Then... then I don't know." I said, almost desperate, looking up towards him. His eyebrow merely rose in response and I sighed. He knew I was holding something back, but I wasn't going to give it to him. Not now. Maybe not ever. I didn't want to lose the friendship we had.

I don't know why I thought I could manage the next thing I tried, but I guess I was looking for an easy way out. Too bad I looked in the wrong direction.

I was on my feet and my hand was on the door before the thought had even finished formulating in my head. But before I could tug it further open, arms were around me, keeping me in place. I stiffened up in surprise and fear. The fear was just from what had happened to me and I forced myself to stay in control of it. I have no idea why I was surprised though, honestly. I was a jounin, yes, but I was out of shape. Neji was also a jounin, and he was in shape and his body was a weapon, making him much faster than me. There was no way I could just run out of the room, and I had known it even though I'd tried anyway. His arms dropped from my body, but not before turning me. The movement caused my hand to shove the door even further closed, and my eyes went to the floor once more.

"Maia, look at me." I kept my eyes firmly on the ground. "Please?" I didn't want to, but he'd said please - not something I heard uttered from his lips often - so I had to. My gaze rose to his face, and he nodded. "There. Now, why were you running? I'm not going to hurt you." He raised his hands in a nonthreatening way and took a slight step backwards to give me more space. Even so, I stepped away as well, pressing my back gently against the door.

"I..." I don't even know why I thought to run. I had no other excuses for my reaction, except the truth. So, I chose to run instead of admitting to him what I could not, from fear. "I'm afraid." I whispered in explanation. He couldn't tell me I was lying either, because I wasn't. I was utterly terrified, but not for any reason he would think of.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Maia. I won't hurt you." Oh, if he only knew the truth. Sure, he wouldn't harm me physically - okay, he wouldn't hurt me unless we were in practice, but even then he's been taking it easy on me - but emotionally was a whole 'nother ball game. No. He would, even if he didn't want to. Because it would kill me to have him tell me no - I'd rather suffer with my secret still a secret than have it in the open. "What's wrong, Maia? You can tell me." He urged, taking a small step forward, causing me to shrink against the door.

Which turned out to be a bad idea, as someone decided to open it at that exact moment, causing me to fall backwards into the hallway. I looked up from my position on the floor to see Tenten looking down at me, a bag of groceries on one arm, with curiosity.

"Sorry, Maia! Are you alright?" She asked, and then Neji was there, offering me a hand up. I accepted it so I wouldn't appear rude, releasing his hand easily once I was steady on my feet. I showed no discomfort at being a few steps from him, unlike before when the door was shut.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I was about to go to the gate to meet you when Neji asked me a question. I'd turned to answer and we ended up talking more and I was leaning on the door." I told her, easily. It wasn't even a lie, really. Because he had asked a question and we were talking when I'd leaned against the door which ended up in my falling in the hall. It wasn't lying, just a manipulation of the truth, right?

"Oh, alright." She said, but I could tell she was still curious. However, she didn't ask any questions and neither Neji or I gave any other word in explanation. Instead, I changed the subject.

"I guess it's time to go home. Would either of you like to join me?" I'd have only offered to Tenten as I was feeling a bit uncomfortable around Neji, but it would be extremely rude to just invite Tenten in front of him. Tenten smiled at the offer, but declined.

"I have to train with Lee still. He's been waiting since we left to spar with me, and if I wait too long he'll make me do something ridiculous after, like run backwards around Konoha until I faint or something equally strange." I smile and nod my understanding - Lee was just like our sensei, Gai.

Neji, on the other hand, accepted. He wouldn't even let me carry my own groceries. The three of us walked out the gate where Tenten parted ways with us. My home wasn't that far away and we traveled in silence. We got to the door, which I promptly unlocked and allowed Neji to precede me into my abode. Maybe this wasn't the best idea... Not like I could change it now.

Ryu's shoes weren't by the door, so I knew he wasn't home. I retreated to the kitchen with the bag of groceries Neji finally surrendered to me. I knew I only had a few minutes before he'd get fed up with this tactic and either corner me in here or call me into the other room. He may be patient, but even he has his limit. After shuffling the groceries around in the cabinets and the fridge, there was nothing left for me in the room. From the lack of noise he would know this as well. I took a breath and re-entered the room that I had last exited.

"Now, should we return to the conversation from before?" He asked, but it really wasn't a question. We were going back to it whether I liked it or not. This was proved as he said, in the same breath, "What is there to be afraid of, Maia?" I shook my head, resting my back against a solid wall - no chance of it opening behind me. This man was so baffling, I didn't know what to do with the situation. Anything I could say could be twisted in a thousand ways, and count on him to think of each and every one.

"I... you... it's confusing!" I exclaim at him from my place across the room, thoroughly exasperated with myself and him. Myself because couldn't find the courage to say what I felt and him for just being him. "What am I? To you, anyway. You seem cold, and then you kiss me. You're utterly perplexing!" I tell him. From the way his brows knit together in thought, this obviously wasn't what he expected me to say to him. Well, good. Let him be confused. Turnabout is fair play, alls fair in love and war, et cetera, so on and so forth.

"Well, for starters, you're my teammate. I can rely on you to have my back, no matter what. Whether we're angry at each other, you'll still be there to protect me until the threat is gone, even if I protest. Someone I can lean on and trust to get me somewhere safe or die trying." He replied slowly, obviously thinking his words through as he went. He paused but it was obvious he wasn't finished, especially as he drew breath to speak again, slowly moving across the room towards me. "You're my friend. I can tell you many things I wouldn't share with Lord Hiashi or Tenten. You understand me, as a jounin to jounin, as one person to another. You help me when I ask, without asking why or for anything in return." Here, he took a long, slow breath. I almost spoke, thinking he was finished, when his voice filled the air again. "You're the person closest to me, Maia. I'm glad, no matter what you may think, that it had been you chosen for that mission. Not because of what happened after I left, but for all the rest." The last bit was added quickly, as if he were afraid I'd get the wrong idea, and his gaze filled with passion and hope.

"That mission… it helped to put a lot of things into perspective. When I saw you in a heap on the ground, and then looking down at you, bruised and makeup running down your face, I was angry. I wanted to rip the one who'd done that to you apart. And when you flung yourself on me, as if you really were afraid… I was delighted when you did, because it was me that you needed, even if it was just an act." I dropped my gaze as he tried to meet my eyes, but he wasn't having any of that. He lifted my chin up to make me look at him, because he was standing right before me once more.

"For the longest time, I've felt very protective of you, Maia. Since we were genin, even. I think that, even then, I've been attracted to you." I bit the inside of my lip as he spoke, growing nervous. He'd answered my question, and no doubt he wished the same from me. But I didn't know if I could do it, and it wasn't fair. But there was absolutely no way I was prepared for that. The Neji Hyuuga, aloof and cold, hard as stone, was able to feel something akin to love, and it was towards me. Me. I swallowed hard, my mouth having gone dry.

"Y-yes." I took a steadying breath. I was hyper aware of his fingers still on my chin. "I agree. You're my teammate and friend. I'd trust you with anything: my life, my secrets, everything. You're the only one I can be completely honest with - because you know that we can't always tell the truth. During... during that..." I paused, biting my lip as I thought of how to say this without freaking myself out. "During that mission... before..." I left that hanging and just went on, "I used you, you know, to cry." I mumbled. "The memory of your near... near-death was all that I could use to bring me to tears - nothing else worked. I can't imagine you... you... dying." I barely got the word out and I had to bite hard on my lip to hold back the tears that wanted to force their way down my cheeks. No. Not happening. "I don't know about before the mission, but I know that I have..." I groped for the appropriate word, "feelings for you, Neji." I jerked my chin out of his hand, turning my face away from his.

"It scares me." I whisper to him; I can't help it, the words just spill forth before I can stop them. He doesn't speak, he just lets me talk. He doesn't even force me to look at him once more. "Affection for another? It makes me feel vulnerable... I could be crushed. It's absolutely terrifying." Finally I forced myself into silence. After a few moments, he realized I wasn't going to say anymore.

"Maia, look at me." I closed my eyes, steeling myself for what's to come, before turning to the man barely an arms length away from me. "I told you before, didn't I?" At my bewildered look, he stepped forward and rested his hands gently on my shoulders and leaned in so that he could whisper in my ear. "I will never hurt you." My arms raise to cling to his arms so that I don't collapse again. This is all too much in one day, it really is. This was an unexpected turn of events. I didn't wake up this morning thinking any of this would have happened, not any of it. I'd never have thought I'd attack an innocent man or that Neji and I would be expressing our affection for one another.

After a few tries I finally get my voice to work. "Promise? This isn't just a horrible trick or something like that?" I ask, wary of any malicious intent - even though I know deep down he would never do such a thing.

"I promise. It's not a trick, Maia." His tone was slightly exasperated, but he was just going to have to deal with it. I was wary of most men, but this crazy turn of events had my emotions going even crazier than usual, girlish hormones and all that aside.

"Neji..." I start.

"Yes?"

"If you're lying... I'll never forgive you." I tell him, staring straight up into those pale orbs. After a long moment, he nods. Then, and only then, do I stand up on tip-toe - I wish he wasn't taller than me! - and press my lips against his.

This is completely unlike any of our other kisses in the past. All but one was for an audience - they meant nothing, an act. The one earlier was nothing, too, really. I was too utterly baffled to even register much besides the fact that he was kissing me for no good reason - which ended up in a huge soul-searching thing that led to this.

"This" was a light, innocent kiss that turned not so innocent as he pressed me up against the wall. Not roughly - even now he was careful of me and my mental state - but it was filled with everything that wasn't there before. Before it was empty, meaningless, but now it was passion and need. It left me breathless and flushed, and I was pleased to see his cheeks were tinted a shade of pink as well and he too was regaining his own breath.

After a second kiss, no less heated than the first, we were forced to break apart by the return of Ryu. Though he shot us both a look, what with our slightly disheveled state, but he made no comment other than to inform us he was going to his room to study. As he disappeared down the hall, Neji decided to take his leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?" I asked as I saw him out the door.

"And for many days to come, if I have my way." I smiled brightly at him, closing my door only after he's disappeared from my sight.


	30. Chaos

For those of you who actually read my update on my profile, good job! For those who didn't, naughty naughty. I had exams all week, so this was the first chance I got to actually work on the chapter. I just finished it like, five minutes ago, and now that I've spell checked it and all that I'm posting it for you! I'll start working on the next one tomorrow so that I'll have something ready for you next week, but I have my swimming district meet next week Friday-Saturday, so there is no guarantees on next week either, I'm sad to say. I will try my best to finish it before then, just so that I might get you guys a chapter up!

**Raining-skye23**: I'm glad you liked it so much. Sorry for not posting recently, but I hope this chapter makes you happy. =]  
**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl**: .;;; please keep your foot to yourself. I'd rather not have Gary walking through there, if you don't mind. Besides, I'd have to stop typing while you were surgically removed from me, and then everyone would be so mad at you.  
**Snow'n'Cupcakes**: I know. =]  
**Clarissa Avila**: I'm glad I made you happy, but I'm sorry I couldn't update quickly!

Now! Enjoy, please!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty – **_Chaos  
_

It has been two weeks since Neji and I shared those kisses in my home. That makes a total of forty-two days - six weeks! - that I had not been on a mission. My genin and I were itching to leave the village, to do something more than train, but Tsunade won't let me leave yet. Even when I claim I'm sane enough to do a simple C rank mission, she still waves my protests away. I was in better shape that I had been when I arrived in the village, and other than maybe one panic attack a week, I was doing fine. I was going insane with boredom - training is only distracting for a short period of time, but then you really do want to escape the confinement of the village.

Neji and I were spending more time together after training. We'd walk around the village, chatting about nothing in particular, or we might go to the bride or the top of Hokage Mountain. Tenten and Lee enjoyed teasing the two of us mercilessly at practice. It wasn't like there was any way to hide what was building between us - nor were we trying to. At practice we treated each other like any other shinobi - we had to or there was no way we'd be able to spar together. Neither of us held back against the other - nor did we against the other two. That was how it was supposed to go - right? Don't hold back, because in the real thing you can't.

It helped that we had been on that mission together - it was easier to smile and take their silly comments that way. I had gotten used to being stared at and whispered about, and I didn't care if anyone saw me holding Neji's hand. Others of the rookie teams that had been in the chunin exams with us saw us and grinned as they realized what had occurred. Of course, to make things even funnier, Naruto was the absolute last to figure it out. Poor guy. I actually got to witness his outright confusion personally, though I didn't get to see the realization.

I had been at the hospital for a check up, and Sakura was the one who got to be my doctor. Naruto had been visiting her for whatever reason, so the three of us were just chatting. That's when Sakura made the comment that blew Naruto's mind.

"So, Maia, I heard you and Neji are dating." She slipped in casually, as if she were talking about the weather. Before I could say anything, Naruto exploded.

"What! No way she'd date _that_ guy! I mean, I mean, he's so... arrogant! Nuh uh, no way you're dating _Neji_, right Maia?" He'd made cross with his arms multiple times during that spiel, and I laughed at him. I couldn't help it. He was so ridiculous.

"Oh, but Naruto, I_ am_ dating Neji. We've been together officially for about week now - where have you been?" I knew where he'd been - training or eating ramen. The dumbfounded look on his face was priceless, and I burst into laughter again. "If you don't believe me, you can always go ask Neji." I informed him.

"Yeah! Because you have to be pulling my leg!" I rolled my eyes and grinned when I saw Sakura do the same. The blonde rushed out the door to go find the Hyuuga as I shook my head. Poor Neji. Oh well - he'd figure out how to get rid of the blonde. After a few more of the usual tests that doctors liked to take, Sakura released her to go train her team.

It was warm out - perfect for practice. I wasted no time in getting to our training ground, where my three students were busy warming up.

"Alright!" I called, getting their attention. They paused in their exercises. "We're sparring today. Two on two, Daichi and I against Nobori and Hanabi." I pulled off a kunai pouch and tossed it under a tree. "No poisons - but other than that, anything goes. Alright?" Nobori tossed his own pouch next to mine. Daichi pushed away from his other two teammates, to keep them from getting the jump on them when I started the exercise. The other two were staring at me avidly, waiting for my cue to go.

"And... go!" I called, leaping backwards into a tree behind me. The other three disappeared as soon as the words left my mouth - though I knew we'd be in the open again soon. With a person like Hanabi against us, there was no way we'd be hidden long. Though I _could_ take all three of them in a match, with or without the Byakugan, I had to remember to pull back my skill to make due for the others on my team. It would be no good to spar with them only to continuously beat them into the ground, thus effectively destroying the team. A glint of light warned me that there was a kunai coming towards my position, and I let my body move out of the way without dropping from my position like was expected of me. It hit the wood with a solid _thock!_ and to the unaided eye it would appear that I would have moved to avoid it - the more favored way to flush out an enemy was to throw a weapon and have them dodge away. However, when four more came at my position, I had no choice but to let myself be flushed out.

I dropped into the clearing, only to roll out of the way as more knives came flying my way. Three kunai flew towards where the second set of weapons came from, so I knew Daichi was covering my hide as I ducked and dodged away. Another wave came out, followed by the person who threw them - Hanabi. I rolled backwards and away as she came at me with what I knew to be chakra infused hands.

It was then I heard the yell.

"Maia!" I turned, using the momentum to dodge Hanabi and see who was yelling for me. Ugh, it was Naruto. I looked back to the fight. I blocked Hanabi's next swing with my hand to her inner arm before twisting it to throw her aside. "I found Neji, but he disappeared and didn't tell me _anything_!" He screamed at me as I dodged again, as more of Nobori's knives came at me. Hanabi wasn't getting any rest either - Daichi was throwing weapons at her as well. "Are you even listening to me?" He demanded.

"I'm a little busy at the moment!" I yelled in return, ducking under a knife and leaping towards where I knew Nobori to be sitting. I came up short, though, when Hanabi cut in my way and lashed out viciously with her hand.

"But _Maia_ I'm talking to you!" He whined, closer this time. I nearly tripped over him as I dodged away.

"Damn it, Naruto, I'm sparring with my team!" I shoved him out of the way and ducked under knives as Hanabi rushed me. I made some quick handseals and threw leaf blades at her. She dodged to the side and kept coming, but it was enough time to roll away.

"Well hurry up! I want to talk to you!" He told me, clearly unhappy that I'd put my team over him. Oh well, he'd get over it. Not like he'd wait - he'd start talking here soon and then I'd have to comfort his poor pitiful self. But not until after the spar, else I'd get jumped by my team, and I couldn't have that happening. Hanabi was still after me, and knowing full well the extent of her powers had me dodging backwards.

But, suddenly, she stopped, her eyes widening.

"Sensei, look out!" She cried, pointing. I turned and barely dodged a kunai. When I looked at it as it hit the tree, I saw it was one of my poisoned ones - a Pain.

"Who in the _hell_ is playing with my kunais?" I demanded, turning. My eyes widened as I took in the sight behind me. Daichi was pinned against the chest of a blue faced man with a large wrapped object on his back by one of them mans arms. The other held a kunai to his throat - from here I could see it was a paralysis one. In the hand of the arm pinning Daichi to him was my kunai pouch. The most obvious feature - other than the pale blue skin - was the dark cloak with the red clouds and the hitai-ate with the slash through it. He was a missing nin.

However, I knew who this man was - all of the jounin and higher of the villages had been warned about all of the Akatsuki after the attack on the Kazekage. This was Kisame... and his partner was Itachi Uchiha, one of our very own missing nin. I knew what they were here for. Naruto had the nine-tails sealed within his body, and the Akatsuki wanted these demons for themselves.

"Naruto!" I turned to look for the blonde who was, fortunately, within a few paces of me. He was staring at Kisame intently - he knew what they were too. All the demon carriers were probably warned too, I supposed. Whatever - it didn't matter. He needed to be kept safe from these men.

"Don't move, or your kid here is done for." Kisame growled at me with a toothy grin. I bit my lip, looking at Daichi and then to Naruto. Hanabi was somewhere behind me where she had stopped at the beginning of this little scene. I had no idea where Nobori was, but I only prayed he wasn't with Itachi.

"Hanabi." I said without moving. "Where is Nobori?" I furiously hoped that Itachi didn't have him, but that was the only reason neither of them had shown themselves. I kept my eyes on Daichi, but the rest of my senses were listening for any sign of movement. I was afraid I would have to do that which I did not want to. I didn't want to need to give up Daichi's life for Naruto's - but if that was the price to pay to keep the nine-tails out of their hands, I would pay it. We couldn't afford for them to gain more power.

"Maia-sensei, Nobori's in the tree... but there's a guy by him. Nobori can't see him. Why isn't that guy doing something?" She wondered aloud. I wanted to know how long Itachi had been there. If I wasn't careful, he would be killed - and the rest of my team too.

"Hanabi, go get him. Now!" I ordered her, watching the man in front of me.

"Hey! I told you-" The blue haired man started, but I lunged at him, causing him to jerk away. The knife didn't hit Daichi, not yet, but it was only a matter of time. I had to get him now, before it was too late. I tugged out the clean kunais from my weapons pouch and threw them at the man. If Daichi took one, he'd live. He wouldn't live if he got that knife to his throat. I darted at Kisame and grabbed at the wrist with the knife with both hands, managing to force it out of his strong grip after a moments scuffle. He just grinned at me at lashed out with his legs, taking me in the midsection. I slammed into a tree, but I darted back to my feet and ran at the man again.

"Naruto! Run!" I yelled over my shoulder. The next goal was pulling Daichi away. I'd send him for help - I was sure I could at least hold them here long enough to give him time to call warning. Instead, I saw three Naruto's run ahead at the shark-man, and as he was wrenching himself out of their grip, I ripped Daichi free of the enemy and managed to recover my kunai's too. I pulled back, leaving Naruto to deal with the man for a minute. I had to trust him not to get killed or kidnapped.

"Daichi. Go to the next training ground over - that's where Team Gai is. Tell them Kisame and Itachi are here. Then I want you to get to the Hokage's office, understand?" He nodded. "Go! We'll hold them here for as long as we can." Which probably wouldn't be long - I wasn't up to fending off two Akatsuki members while defending two of my team mates. Who, now that I thought about it, were probably in some serious trouble. I turned to go to them - praying Naruto would be fine.

When I reached Nobori's last location - which I reckoned from his kunai throws - I found only what should have been expected. The two genin on my team were unconscious, and there was blood on the ground - from which I could assume was from one or both of the motionless figures on the ground. There was nothing I could do for then now but hope they wouldn't die while I dealt with the man before me.

"I take it you're Itachi?" I said to the ground. I couldn't risk looking up at him, else he might capture me as he did Nobori and Kakashi. I had no idea how I'd fight him if I couldn't look at him.

"If you give up the boy, this can all end." His cool voice filled the air. When I didn't respond to his demand, he continued. "I didn't kill them; that is not my goal. All I want is the boy."

"He's not mine to give - or yours to take." I told him, going into a defensive position, my hand sliding into my pouch for kunai. Then I was blasted backwards by an attack I didn't even see coming - his hands didn't move. I slammed into one tree - then through it and into the next a few feet away. How did he have such power? I gasped for air as I collapsed on the ground, but I forced myself to rise as footsteps drew nearer. At least he was away from my teammates. If I could just draw him further away - I needed to see how Naruto was doing. He was the first priority, now that I knew the other two were safe. Even though Naruto _should_ have been my first priority from the beginning, I had a duty to the three on my team. I couldn't let them down.

I heard a cry - it sounded like Naruto's. I turned to see what happened - even though there were trees and brush in my way - and in the half of a second it took for me to look away, Itachi closed in and had a hand at my throat. He was impossibly strong and faster than even that. He held me easily above the ground. Still, even with the fear of death by strangulation coursing through my body, I was still a fighter. I lifted my feet and lashed out at where I knew his head to be, and the threw me away from him to avoid it. I cried out as my back and shoulders came into fast contact with the ground and I slid a good distance, coming to a hard stop against a tree.

"Just give in." His voice again. My hand clenched into a fist. How had Sakura done this? She'd taken out that guy with the crazy strong poison, and he had been one of them - and she was just a chunin medical nin! I was a poison expert and a jounin, I should be able to do this! I was just as strong as her, wasn't I? I got up again, only to be knocked back down with a firm kick to the ribs. A sharp pain filled my chest as I landed again. A hand went to my chest - he hurt something, but I wasn't sure what. I let my hand fall again, this time I didn't even try to get up. Instead, I just made handsigns. Bird, Rat, Horse, Bird, Hare - followed by a release of my chakra would lead to the Elusive Mist, a genjutsu I had managed to create. It made a thick mist that would hide me and confuse the enemy. As I was making the third symbol I felt pain again, this time to the stomach, but my hands kept steady even when I wanted to pull them apart as I flew once more. As I landed I made the final seal, and there was the mist.

My chest hurt so badly, but I forced myself to rise and begin to put distance between the two of us. Before I got anywhere, though, a force pushed me down as the mist cleared.

"Genjutsu of that level doesn't work on me." I winced as the pressure on my back hurt my ribs. I forgot that the Sharingan was strongest against genjutsu - I was just trying to escape, to get my bearings. All of my potions that would normally be on me were at home. I did have my emergency kit - the scroll that held the barest minimum of supplies and potions, but there was no way I could get it open and take a potion before he stopped me. I should have learned from that fiasco at my first chunin exam that I should be prepared for anything - and yet I wasn't, and I could die for such foolishness. If I were to believe what Tsunade and the others thought of me after the last mission, I could put all this down to being out of shape - but I was in perfect condition! Wasn't I? I felt fine - well, other than the splitting pain in my chest and the bruises and scratches that were now covering my back and stomach. I glared up at the man with his foot pressed to my back. I tugged a kunai out with one hand and stabbed at the leg, but as it met flesh the body disappeared in a puff of smoke. All this time I had been playing with a clone?

I pulled myself off the ground and half-ran half-stumbled to where I knew Naruto to be. I braced myself on a tree as I came to the clearing of the training ground. Naruto was defending himself from Kisame - where was Itachi? Wasn't he fighting Naruto as well? And what about that backup I had sent for, where in the world were they? Team Gai's training ground wasn't _that_ far away - Daichi should have reached it by now. And, no matter how curious they were about his appearance, they wouldn't hesitate to come once he heard the two names I'd sent him with. Unless he hadn't made it - which I couldn't rule out at this point. That could be where Itachi had gone - but it wouldn't take that long to take out a genin. I grabbed my pouch and pulled three exploding tags and attached them to kunai. It was all I had left, at this point.

I primed them, said a prayer, and then threw them as high into the air as I could manage. The resulting explosion was loud and flashy - plenty of smoke and boom to go around to be a signal. Hopefully someone would come from seeing that. Unless they thought it was training kunai gone awry - but I'd never seen anything like it before at practice.

"Maia, watch out!" Naruto's cry came too late, as three kunai embedded themselves in my body. I gasped in pain and looked down. One in my arm, one just below my breastbone, and a third in my leg. I dropped to one knee as I pressed my hand to the one in my chest, the most serious of the three. I took my breath in gasps before coughing, wincing as I saw blood fly from my mouth. That wasn't a good sign at all. Not that I could let that stop me from defending Naruto from the Akatsuki until we could get help to arrive. I looked up as I heard Naruto ranting about something along the lines of hurting his friends and making them pay. Normally I'd yell at him for being so ridiculous and annoying, but I just didn't have the energy to spare for such antics. Instead, I yanked the kunai out of my flesh and try to stop the bleeding to the best of my ability before looking up again. They were both there, and Naruto was all alone.

I managed to yank the emergency scroll out of my holster and opened it, before releasing it and retrieving two of the three healing potions from it. I shoved it haphazardly into my holster before downing both of them. It would have to do, because someone had to stop these two from stealing Naruto. I rose to my feet shakily and made my way to them.

"Naruto... run! You can't be taken!" I told him firmly.

"But... I can't just leave you here..." He said, looking back at me with trepidation. I smiled shakily.

"I'm a jounin, remember? I'll be just fine. Go get Neji and the others, alright? I'll be here when you get back." I said, finally reaching the blonde. "You'll have to hurry, though." I pulled out five kunai, all different poisons but I didn't care for which they were. I just needed weapons to throw at my enemies. My breath was still coming in as short pants, but the healing potions were at least numbing the pain I was feeling, which was better than nothing.

"Fine!" Naruto yelled. "But you'd better not die, Maia." He said, pointing at me. "Because I still don't believe you're dating Neji, and you have to prove it still." I laughed. Of course he'd bring something so silly as all that into something so serious as this.

"Of course. Go, Naruto." He leapt away, and Kisame moved to follow, but I managed to cut him off. "Nope. I'm your opponent now." I told him, throwing one of the kunai at him. He dodged it and landed next to his partner in crime. I just hoped it was actually him this time and not some clone. That would royally blow, but I was in no condition to try to get to the others on my own, even if I had left Naruto to find them before I made this fuss. No, it was better this way. He had a chance of survival if I could hold them here.

"Huh. You're still moving, are you girlie?" The shark-man said, pointing his wrapped sword at me. Gai-sensei had told us - well me, since the other three had gotten to experience it firsthand - about this sword and how it didn't slice, it ripped. What a creepy sword. "Let's fix that, hmm?"

"Let's go then." I responded, throwing two at the pair before me. He just blocked them with his sword, but it gave me one kunai for each hand - a poison that created delusions was coated on the kunai with purple wool and the second was marked by light green gossamer, representing nausea. Two fun poisons in my hands, right? Let's see what mischief I could manage while Naruto was away. It wasn't like I had forever, right?

The blue man lunged at me, swinging his blade down at my body. I blocked it with both of my kunai, but he was much too strong for me to hold of for any period of time in that fashion. I was too weak in this condition to even attempt such a thing, so I pulled away, letting the sword land in the dirt where I had been standing moments before. I lunged in with my kunai, sidestepping around the sword that was touching the ground to attack him. He dodged to the side and swung the sword up at me again, and this time I was not so lucky to dodge. He ripped a chunk out of my arm, and while it hurt, I just pushed through and slashed at him. But he wouldn't let me land a hit - he was like a fish in water the way he dodged my attacks. It was like he knew where I was going to be before even I knew. Then the sword was up between us again and I was dodging the deadly ripping blade, afraid to let it hit again. I couldn't afford to let him rip me to pieces, not now.

Instead, I remembered his partner. So, I lept back, dodging a swing from his blade, and when I landed I pivoted and made for the traitor Uchiha. He sidestepped me and threw a kunai at me. I dodged, and then that force from before knocked me backwards and I slammed into another tree. This time I didn't go through it at least. But I had to scramble up and away without any time to recover from the blow as Kisame was right there ready to rip into me again. I rolled away and up onto my feet and I had to dodge again - straight towards Itachi who blindsided me with a devastating punch to my chest - right where the kunai had hit me. I slammed into the ground and I was conscious of someone standing over me, and I knew it was one of my enemies.

I just couldn't get my body to move away from them.

"Maia!"


	31. Sacrifice

Okay, okay, I know it took awhile, but here it is. I had it almost done on Thursday, but Friday and Saturday I was too tired to type without about 100 errors per word. BUT! We made it to regionals on our 400 free relay, so that's always good. I dropped 3 seconds off my 100 free time, hitting a 1:07 ( Not that you guys understand what any of that means unless you do, in which case good job! :D, but I have to share anyway :D ). I also have come to terms with the fact that I'm going to divert from the plot of Naruto. I mean, I was already getting loose with it, but now I'm accepting that I probably won't go back to the actual plot, because I have yet to watch the shippuden past season 2 really. I know I've seen some in 3, but I honestly don't know what happened so I gave up on them. -needs to rewatch-

In any case! Here are my replies to my reviewers - which gives me ANOTHER topic to hit really quick. I've seen stories that are written half-assed with a hundred grammatical and spelling errors per chapter (which might be up to 1k if lucky) and get more reviews =/ That depresses me a bit. I won't stop writing, but I do wish that I could get more feedback, so I know what you guys like/don't like as I continue through this story. I have an endpoint in mind, but how I get to it is still way up there in the air. And then I have an idea for a sequel... but that's neither here nor there.

**Raining-skye23:** Well, I didn't do what you asked, but I figured you'd like this just as much. 3 Read on, and you'll understand.  
**Clarissa Avila:** Back up is indeed there, but is it what you expect is the question? I love cliff hangers, can't you tell? I'm so very evil.  
**Snow'n'Cupcakes:** Yes, here is more for you.  
**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl:** That works, so long as you don't kill mee~ .

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-One – **_**Sacrifice**_

I screamed as the sword ripped through my left thigh. It bit deep, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. This is probably because a green-blur came out of nowhere and knocked the shark man away, ending the tearing of my leg. At least it wasn't both of them, right? I blinked my eyes, trying to clear the haze that seemed to hover between my eyes and the rest of the world. The green form lept away from the shark man to land next to me.

"Maia, are you alright?" Lee. Of course he'd have beaten them here - he was the fastest of all of us when he needed to be. The others wouldn't be far behind, though. They weren't that far away.

"Naruto? Is he..?" I gasped out, reaching for my leg to stop the bleeding.

"He's alright. He told us you were in trouble." That meant Daichi was out there somewhere. He'd never made it to Team Gai's grounds to warm them of the Akatsuki. But there was no time to worry over that, because the shark man had taken offense to my eccentric teammate's interference.

"Another one? I'll tear you to bits too!" Lee scooped me up and darted away, and just in time because Kisame was out to get us with a vengeance. I had no idea why - Naruto was gone now. Shouldn't they have left? That's what I'd heard had happened last time they had been thwarted. These guys could wipe the floor with me easily, and they let themselves be held here.

"How far behind are the others?" I asked as Lee landed on a branch.

"Tenten went to inform Hokage-sama; the others will be here soon." Lee said confidently. He sat me on the branch against the tree trunk. "Stay here." With that, he leapt away to fight Kisame in the clearing below. I took a breath to look at my injured leg, the one that had been ripped into by that weird sword. It looked bad, and unless I was letting my imagination run away with me, I could see my bone in places where the muscle and tissue had been torn away completely. That was _not_ good for anyone, especially me. I molded the chakra in my body into healing energy before pressing against my leg. I had be able to move if, more like when, I was pulled back into the battle again. I felt the pain slowly lessen - I knew I couldn't do much for myself; I didn't have the training. However, I _did_ have to survive this attack, so I had to do whatever I could to make it so.

I blamed my bad luck. And Naruto. And Neji. And Tsunade. If Tsunade would have let me have a mission I wouldn't have had to be in the village today to get the check up, and if Naruto hadn't been at the hospital this morning, he wouldn't have been there when Sakura asked me about Neji and then he wouldn't have went to bother Neji, which made this partially Neji's fault too. If Neji had answered Naruto he wouldn't have come to my training grounds and endangered my students. Then again, that wasn't fair, I supposed. Naruto could have been alone and then we wouldn't have known he was gone until it was too late. At least I managed to get a warning out. Hopefully everything would turn out alright, right?

I looked down to watch the green blur that was my ex-teammate fight the blue man. For all of his speed, Kisame managed to keep away for the most part, blocking the other attacks with his sword. No wonder he'd never been caught before, if he could play keep-away with Lee. Then again, he also had Itachi as a partner. Speaking of, where was- I abruptly rolled off of the tree limb - a good six or seven feet in the air, by the way - to avoid the wave of kunais that flew at me. There he was. I landed on the ground and collapsed; my leg wasn't up to taking a landing like that. I hadn't done much for myself before I'd been attacked again. It was still bleeding freely and it _hurt_. Maybe as much as that hole that had been put through my shoulder when we'd set off to save Sasuke. Hopefully it wouldn't scar too. I rolled away as more kunais peppered the area, wincing as two hit me.

Unfortunately for me, the Uchiha knew what he was doing and had planned where I was to roll well. So, I was blasted backwards by whatever the heck jutsu he had that allowed him to shove me through trees earlier, knocking me through the battle between Kisame and Lee. That was the only blessing I'd spare for that attack, because Lee - fast as he is - saw my form fly through the clearing and managed to break the fall. And then he rolled, pulling me with him, as more attacks came our way. This meant my face and wounds got plenty of dirt and crap in them and it sucked royally.

"Are you alright, Maia?" Lee asked as we came to a halt behind some trees. We'd only have a moment of respite before they'd be upon us again.

"Y-Yeah. Where are the others, though?" I figured that Neji, Naruto, and Gai-sensei would have gotten here by now. The training ground really wasn't that far... unless...

"I do not know. They should be here."

"Lee, I think these are clones... the others are probably fighting the real ones. They're after Naruto, remember?" Lee hit an his open palm with his fist.

"That makes sense! We should go help them!" He declared. Then I was shoving him one way while I ducked away to the other as an attack in the form of the creepy sword came at us. I winced and favored my leg as I rolled onto my feet. I was surprised I was even standing, really. Adrenaline and the fear for your life does wonders, I suppose. The sword swung around in an arc towards me and I barely dodged it. I did _not_ want to lose another chunk of my body to that thing. I saw Lee barreling at the Kisame-clone and so I moved at it to distract it - even if it was just a clone, it had the intelligence of its creator - and I ended up taking another hit from that effing sword, biting my lip as it tore out a chunk of my arm.

However, my injury wasn't for naught, since Lee managed to get behind the clone and hit it hard enough to make it disperse. I clutched my arm as it disappeared, before kneeling and tugging out my emergency kit once more - this time withdrawing bandages. I quickly wrapped my leg as Lee searched for the Uchiha clone. For all I knew, he was right behind me. I kept my senses alert for the presence of the clone as I tightly tied off the wound in my thigh. I winced at the pain, but it needed to be done. After wrapping the area liberally with bandages, I went to my arm, which was much harder since I only had my teeth and one hand to work with. I actually managed to finish tying them off, so I assumed Lee had found the clone and was playing 'lets-get-blown-up' with it.

Moving hurt, but I forced myself to find Lee. He was my friend and teammate, and even if that wasn't incentive enough, as a jounin I had some obligation to defend anyone - especially those that weren't in the same rank as myself. I heard a shout and moved in that direction. Lee wasn't looking too hot - he was breathing heavily and glaring at the clone. I flung a kunai at the fake-man, drawing his attention.

"Lee, are you okay?" I asked, moving away from my position towards the enemy. I didn't hear his answer as the clone's hand moved, weapons appearing, and I moved to dodge but that blast hit me again, slamming me into a tree. How much chakra did this stupid thing have? I was going to be a mess of bruises, that was for sure. We had to finish this quickly - if this was just a clone I didn't want to imagine the real deal, and that was what my old teammates were fighting.

"Maia!" Lee called me out of my thoughts and pain and I ducked as a kunai embedded itself in the tree where my throat had been just moments before.

"We have to stop this madness." I gritted my teeth and rushed at the man in a sort of zig-zag, making my movement a bit less predictable so that he couldn't blast me as easily. He threw weapons at me, and I dodged what I could and took the hits where I couldn't. It was pretty much a suicide run - I was going to hit this clone hard enough to disperse it. We needed to get to the others - and I needed to check my genin. There were kunai in my shoulder, arm, and one had cut my side. I didn't think I'd be in fighting condition after this, but that wasn't the point. Two deadly poisoned kunais were in my hands as I reached the man and slashed at him. He dodged one, but I managed to break the skin with the other as he dodged towards it. I smirked. That poison would course through it's veins and then- poof! The clone was gone in a burst of smoke. Good. That was done. I knew it was pure, sheer, good luck that I managed to nick the clone, but whatever.

I let my legs give out as I tugged the kunai from my body. I had some chakra to spare, so I healed the minor gashes to prevent blood loss from taking its toll as Lee came up to me.

"Maia, you've taken a lot of damage. Are you alright?" He asked, kneeling next to me.

"Yeah, I'll survive. Could you do me a favor?" He nodded. "Hanabi and Nobori are back there," I gestured towards their location. "Could you bring them to me? I need to make sure they'll be okay." I told him, and he left in a flash of green. I stopped healing myself, just in case they were injured in a way I hadn't noticed before. Lee wasn't gone too long so I wasn't waiting forever for him to return with the two. They were still unconscious, and I quickly scanned over them for any signs of bleeding or concussion. It seemed Itachi's clone - or maybe at that moment it had actually been Itachi - had been telling the truth. He hadn't killed them, or injured them really. They'd have a headache probably, but that was it.

"Hanabi!" I smacked her lightly on both cheeks. After a few slaps she was awake, wincing as the headache made its way to the front and foremost of her brain.

"Maia-sensei?" She asked, confused. Then I saw realization spark in her eyes as she sat up quickly, before clutching her head in pain.

"Shh, Hanabi. You're alright." She looked up at me and took in my wounds.

"Maia-sensei, your wounds..."

"I'll be fine, don't you worry. I need you to do something for me." I told her firmly, and she nodded her head lightly so as to not mess with the headache. "You must go to the Hokage's Tower and warn them of Itachi and Kisame. Tell them that they're at Team Gai's training ground. Do not let anyone approach you - go directly to the Hokage's office. They might have others here working for them - or they might have clones set out to stop you. Do _not_ be caught. This is very important, understand? Itachi and Kisame."

"Yes, sensei. Itachi and Kisame, Team Gai's training ground. Don't stop until I reach Hokage-sama and tell her of what happened." I nodded.

"Good. Use your Byakugan. Go swiftly, for they are very dangerous." She nodded and took off from the clearing, invoking the Byakugan as she went. I sent a swift prayer for her safe arrival and turned to Nobori's form. I couldn't just leave him here, so I moved to hoist him up into my arms, but Lee cut me off.

"You're badly injured, no matter what you said to Hanabi." He told me evenly, scooping up the boy. We knew each other too well after so many years. I sighed, letting him take my genin.

"You're right." I told him as we started moving towards the other training ground, watching for Daichi as we went.

"You should rest." He told me gravely, keeping his eyes on the path of wood, grass, and stone as we traveled as swiftly as I could. I was pushing my body to go as fast as I could - there were deadly foes in my village and I had to defend the one they were after.

"I can't. If I can still move, I can fight." I informed him, gritting my teeth as my leg told me just how unhappy it was to be moving at such a pace. It wasn't long before we saw signs of travel - Daichi had been through here. We followed his path and it wasn't long before we found his unconscious form as well. I knelt near him and checked his vitals, but he was fine as well, other than a few ant bites that he'd gotten for being in the way. Lee held Nobori over one shoulder and scooped Daichi under his other arm and we continued towards the training ground.

Before we even were in sight we could hear the sounds of fighting. A little closer and we could almost see it. I signaled Lee to lay the two boys here, out of sight. I didn't want them to be dragged into this if I could help it. Then we crept forward quietly.

What a sight. There were at least two dozen Naruto's running around, attacking at once, defending the real one who was hiding in the fray. I'm sure Neji knew which one he was. Speaking of him, he was in a battle with Kisame - with help from the clones of course. Without them he'd have been sorely outmatched I was afraid. These were S-ranked ninja, while we were only jounins. Strong, yes, but they were a class of their own. Gai-sensei was fighting Itachi. I recalled something about how he could fight by watching a persons feet, and kept my eyes away from Itachi.

"Lee," I whispered to the man next to me. "Don't look into Itachi's eyes, whatever you do, understand?" I ordered him. He saluted me to show he understood. Then we waited for the best time to attack, so that surprise was on our side.

My chance came quickly, when the table was turned by Kisame. He swept away over half of the Naruto's, since most were fighting him, leaving the battle nearly one-to-one between him and Neji. The Naruto's looked to be tired - I knew that jutsu required a lot of chakra to do. Neji, quick and lithe as he was because of his training in the Gentle Fist arts, seemed to be doing fine for awhile.

Then, in a move I didn't see, he was shoved backwards and downwards, and he landed on his back. Kisame grinned and swung that evil ripping sword down to rip out his stomach. I shoved off of the branch and leapt between my love and the sword, catching the blade on my back and left side. It tore a good deal of my muscle there, but it wouldn't kill me. If I hadn't intervened there would have been no saving him. There had been no choice. Then Lee was there, keeping the man distracted.

"Maia!" Neji whispered in shock. I was braced over his body like a bridge, my knees on one side of his torso and my hands on the other. I tensed - causing all of my ripped injuries to scream out against it - as I coughed, blood coloring the saliva. I grimaced and my eyes widened as my body gave out. I'd given everything it had, and it was done. I looked to my side and I realized I was wrong about the gravity of the wound - it was quite deep and it could end in my bleeding out. "You fool, why did you do that?" Neji demanded as he caught me gently and pulled me out of the battle.

The whole exchange took maybe ten seconds, from when Lee entered to the point where I was out of the immediate battle. I smiled weakly at Neji. I hoped I wouldn't die - how guilty he would feel if I were to perish for saving him, though it would have been worth it.

"I couldn't have survived if I'd fought, not with these injuries." I whispered. "I gave up my health to ensure you'd live. Don't waste this, because I can't do it again." He set me at the base of a tree. I wasn't too far from my genin - he'd probably seen them with the Byakugan.

"Thank you." He told me, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Don't die. Help will arrive soon." I smiled and waved him off. There was a battle to be fought. And then he was gone, back into the fray that was just barely in view.

I glanced at my stomach and grimaced. I was glad Neji hadn't looked at my injury before he'd left, it was all red and sticky from the blood. This was bad news for me. I grabbed out my bandages and with bloody and shaky hands I pressed a wad of bandages to my side. If they didn't finish quickly - something I didn't see happening soon - I'd probably die of blood loss. My head was throbbing and so was the rest of my body. Before I lost consciousness I knew I needed to fasten bandages to my side, or I'd bleed out much faster. So, out came the rest of the bandages, and after adding quite a bit to the haphazard padding already in place, I wrapped my stomach liberally with the white gauze as tightly as my weak limbs could manage before tying it off.

It was a short period after that that my vision went dark. Or at least, that's what I'm going with, because I don't really remember the period of time after wrapping my wound.


	32. Injured

Do you have _any_ idea how hard it is to come up with new ideas this far into the story? I literally sat for five minutes trying to think of a chapter name. "Aftermath"? No, taken. "Recovery"? Nope. So, I'm sorry if the title is crap, but I honestly couldn't think of anything for this little filler-esque chapter that took so very long to finish. I'm sorry for that. My mind literally drew a blank when it came to this chapter and the ones that are to follow. That's why I'm trying to find a way to close up this part of the story. Yes, I say _part_ because I have an idea for a sequel that's in the works, because Maia is just too amazing to give up (if I do say so myself). I would have had this up sooner, but Thursday-Friday last week I was out of town because of a swim meet that got canceled, and then Monday-Tuesday this week I was actually at that swim meet (my last one -sob-) and I've been trying to play catch up at school ever since. Anyways! Here are my review responses, and then your long awaited chapter. I hope it meets your expectations.

* Oh, side note that really doesn't matter. I'm mildly proud/startled that I used the word "squee" in this chapter. I have no recollection of typing it.

**Lady Phantasmagoric:** It's okay. =] I understand. And yeah, I totally get what you're talking about, but I had no idea what to do with the last couple of sentences. My muse/writing/whatever you want to call it has been crap lately [as noticed with the whole, forever late update!]  
**Raining-skye23:** Stronger? As in how? I'm trying to find a way to tie up this fic, because I'm having a hard time on figuring out where to go with this one.  
**Clarissa-Avila:** I can't have a fic without Maia, my dear. Don't worry too much. =]  
**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl:** I guess your kunai didn't help too much, because my muse totally left the building. You scared it away.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Two – **_**Injuries**_

When I woke up, I groaned. Not from the pain - which I still had - or anything like that. It was because I was back in the stupid hospital. I hated this place with such a passion, because it was so dreadfully boring. I probably had maybe a week or two left before I would have been sent on a mission, but now look. I was stuck, _again_, in the hospital and I probably wouldn't get a mission for another month! At this rate I was going to have to ask Hokage-sama to send my team out under another jounin so that _they_ could at least get out of the village and get some more skill under their belts. Just because I was handicapped didn't mean they couldn't go out and be useful.

My groan, however, did not go unnoticed. I had company in my room, in the form of Neji. There was also a white curtain separating me from the other half of the room, so I assumed someone else was sharing this room. Not unheard of, but I was curious as to who it was.

"Are you alright?" His voice pulled my eyes from the curtain to his form. He was sitting on a chair that had been dragged from the wall to my bed. His eyes scanned my face, looking for what had caused my groan.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I tried to sit up, but I winced and stopped, letting my body just stay horizontal. "I just hate the hospital." I smiled slightly, but when his face didn't change from his stoic-worried front, I got a little concerned. "Hey... is something the matter? What's wrong? Have I been unconscious for a long time or something?" That would royally blow. I didn't feel like I'd been out of it for awhile, but you never know about these things.

"You've been asleep for about two days because you lost a lot of blood..." He trailed off. I fixed him with a stare, waiting for him to continue. Finally, with a sigh, he started speaking again. "They weren't sure if you'd make it." His voice was soft. Of course. What else did I expect? Stupid shark-man ripped out part of my arm and leg and half of my side, of course I'd have bled quite a bit.

"I'm sorry for worrying you." I told him, reaching for his hand. He let me grasp it, but then guided our joined hands back to the bed so my arm wasn't extended.

"If you hadn't have taken that blow, you wouldn't have been that close." He told me, squeezing my hand.

"If I hadn't taken the blow, you'd have _died_." I snapped back. "He'd have ripped out your entire stomach. I couldn't just sit there and watch that!"

"I know." He sighed. "I know that. I just wish you weren't in here because of it."

"I'd still have been in here; my leg and arm were torn up too." I reminded him. "So don't go borrowing any trouble over this. I'll be fine." I told him, squeezing his hand in emphasis. He smiled lightly, but it died out when he looked past me towards the curtain. "Maia..."

Dread hit me then, and I glanced over at the curtain. Who was over there? "Neji? Who's sharing my room?" Who else had gotten badly injured? Lee? Tenten? Gai-sensei? Not Naruto - he'd be out of here before I could blink.

"It was later in the day than we'd realized. Backup hadn't shown up yet, for whatever reason." He seemed hesitant to divulge who else was in the room.

"Neji, if you don't tell me who is over there, I'm going to walk my injured butt over there and find out myself." I told him, quite seriously.

"It's Ryu." He told me, standing and placing one arm over me so that I couldn't leap free of the bed and storm over to him, like I wanted to.

"What the hell is Ryu doing in here?" Even though I knew it was futile, I sat up and tried to get past his arm, but he was unyielding. My side was on fire, but I didn't care.

"Maia, you need to lay back down. You're going to hurt yourself even more." Neji admonished as he gently pushed my weak body down against the bed once more, but I didn't care. My thoughts were on Ryu. He wasn't even a genin yet, though we'd been training him since before he could go to the academy. He shouldn't be in the hospital for whatever reason until later, when he actually got to go on missions and risk his life.

"I told you; it was later in the day than we thought. He had gotten out of school and had went to your training ground, but no one was there. So, he came to ours. The enemy threw kunai at him and none of us could stop them. We just thought it was the back up, but we knew it to be false when Ryu cried out. I found him, he had dodged a few but most had hit their mark. He was the first sent to the hospital when the rest arrived. He's still asleep." Neji told me as I stared at the curtain.

"Is he... is he going to be alright?" I asked plaintively. I'd raised this kid since he was seven - he was my son and brother. I loved him and I wanted to protect him from harm, and now this! He was here, in the hospital, and there wasn't anything I could have done to prevent it. Even if he had been a genin there wouldn't have been much he could have done - he could have been injured even more so if he had joined the fray. Maybe it was a blessing those kunai took him out, though I could never think of it that way.

"Chances are good that he'll be fine. Sakura comes in herself to check on the two of you to make sure you're both alright. She'll be pleased to know you've woken up."

"Not as much as you, I hope."

"I don't think anyone could be happier to see you awake than me." I smiled up at him. It was kind of weird, in a way. A year ago Neji was never so open with his feelings or any sort of emotion, really. But now? It was wonderful. Not many got to see this side of him, and I was grateful to be one of those few trusted to get so close. I'd squee over the fact that I had Neji to myself later, though. For now, I would be worrying about the boy that was my veritable child. Neji sighed and went to speak, but whatever it was he was going to say went unsaid as the door slid open and a pink-haired woman walked in.

"You're awake! What're you doing?" She glared at Neji, who was still keeping me in my bed. Her hands went to her hips. "Well?"

"She wants to see Ryu. She'd have injured herself more if she got up, so I kept her in bed." Neji said easily, in that smooth, near-emotionless voice of his. He raised an eyebrow at the pink-haired kunoichi, who just sighed.

"You could have just drawn the curtain back." She admonished lightly, striding over to the light material between him and the rest of us. I watched avidly, eager to catch sight of the injured boy to put my imaginative mind at rest. However, Sakura paused, one hand on the curtain. I could have screamed, the suspense and tension were killing me! "He was badly injured. Three kunai in all hit his chest - one just off of his heart and two to the lower torso and stomach. A fourth nicked his major artery in the right shoulder. He's suffering from major blood loss on top of the stress the injuries put on his body. He's most likely going to survive, but there's always the possibility that he won't." Sakura told the two of us - well, more like me because I was sure Neji already knew this information. Then, with an easy, practiced motion, Sakura pulled the curtain away so that I could see the boy.

He was pale, that was the first thing I noticed. His dark hair was a vivid contrast to his light skin. The second thing I saw were the bandages, still wrapped around his shoulder. I didn't get it - why did I wake up first? My injuries were so much worse than his.

"Sakura, why does he have bandages and I don't?" Did they slight him to fix me up? If they did, there was going to be trouble.

"Your injuries were more muscle- and bone-based than tissue-based, as Ryu's are. There wasn't much we could do for you, with the amount of muscle that was torn from your body and the fractures in your chest. We restored as much of the muscle as we could, but you'll find that those limbs will be weaker until you regain that muscle. You'll have to take it easy until your ribs heal as well, since you had a few fractures. Nothing too major, but we couldn't take the time to heal it while you had those other injuries, not when they were so life threatening. They're on their way to healing themselves, so you will be fine with or without a healing." Great. I _just_ recovered from the _last_ debilitating injuries, only to get new ones. They probably weren't going to expend chakra on my ribs when my muscle injuries would keep me out of commission anyway. I wasn't going to see any action any time soon, unless there was another attack like the one that caused my injuries. Neji squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Maia. We'll get through it." Neji told me before pressing his lips to my temple. I sighed and closed my eyes, letting him comfort me. This sucks. At this rate I was never going to get out of the village! I mean, the village was nice and all, but I was itching to leave and do a mission or anything! Now I definitely couldn't - I had to retrain my body. Was this how Lee felt, all those years ago when he first recovered? Because this totally sucked.

"How long until I can leave?" I asked after a long moment.

"In a day or two, perhaps. You won't be allowed to walk around without crutches, however. And you aren't to push yourself or train until _I_ tell you that you can." She told me sternly. "If you ignore this warning, you might not continue your career as a kunoichi." I made a face at the pink haired girl, though I knew I wouldn't be training. I wouldn't risk what I had to rush ahead. I had my whole life ahead of me, of course.

Sakura ignored my look and turned away from the two of us to look at Ryu. I watched her anxiously, clutching Neji's hand as if it were the only thing holding me to this earth. Her hand glowed green with chakra as she examined his body, and then she pulled away with a soft sigh.

"What is it? What's the matter?" I asked, hearing that sigh.

"Nothing is wrong, Maia. He's just taking longer to recover than we initially expected."

"But will he be okay?"

"He should wake up by tomorrow at the latest." Sakura promised with a light smile. "If you'll excuse me, Tsunade-sama wants me to look after some others." With that, she walked out briskly, leaving the two of us in a companionable silence. I broke it after a few moments.

"Who else was injured?"

"Tenten got a gash to the arm, though it's nothing like yours. She was patched up and sent home. Lee strained a few muscles, but other than that he's fine. Hanabi has a mild concussion though your other genin are fine. She's at the compound. Naruto is fine and annoying as always. You took the blow for me, and I took no injuries that were bad. Our backup didn't sustain much damage as well, aside from minor scrapes and bruises. You took the worst of it." He told me, frowning down at me at that last sentence. I just smiled up at him innocently.

"I think I did pretty good for myself." I told him easily, ignoring him as his frown deepened.

"You took on two Akatsuki members with no one except Naruto for backup!"

"Naruto isn't half bad. Besides, I sent him away after I located my teammates. He was fine." He gritted his teeth.

"That makes it even worse! You were alone with them for _how_ long?"

"Not very long. They left clones and chased Naruto." I grinned at him. Then, my grin turned to a grimace of pain as I shifted and jarred my injuries.

"They were _still_ clones of very dangerous Akatsuki members."

"My whole _life_ is dangerous. _Your_ whole life is dangerous. I wasn't going to just sit there and let them take Naruto! I'd have sacrificed more than a few muscles to keep him from their clutches." I told him with a glare. I wanted to cross my arms over my chest, but not only would my arm not cooperate, it would also hurt my ribs and injured side. A glare would just have to suffice I supposed. I didn't need the crossed arms anyway, because just then as a nurse poked her head in.

"Visiting hours are over, sir. Please exit the building." She told him crisply, before shutting the door. There weren't any footsteps, so I figured she was waiting for him to emerge.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, hopeful. I didn't want to spend hours alone in this cursed building, even if I spent it arguing with Neji over who was right and who was wrong.

"I'll be here." He pressed his lips to mine for a quick, hard kiss that left me breathless. Then he turned and left the room without a second glance.

"Bring a book with you!" I yelled after him. I'd probably be in here at least another day, and after he was gone I'd need _something_ to entertain myself with. Instead, I watched Ryu sleep, wondering when he'd wake up.

I don't know when, but I fell asleep.

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night to voices in my room. My first thought was, _who is in my house?_ That was before I remembered I was in a hospital. Then I wondered what had caused people to be in my hospital room. My eyes flew open as I glanced around, my eyes resting on the second bed in my room. That's right. Ryu was sharing with me. A nurse stood with a clipboard next to his bed, blocking him from me. However, I could hear him murmuring, so I knew he was awake.

"Ryu?" I called across the room tentatively. I could always just be hallucinating, of course. The nurse turned to look at me, moving so that I could see my boy. His eyes found me after some difficulty.

"Maia? You're in here too?" He asked, confused.

"Yeah. Didn't she tell you?"

"He just woke up while I was checking on him." The woman said, in a slightly irritated voice. I waved a hand at her.

"I wasn't trying to start a fight, miss." Not this time, anyway. My attention went back to Ryu. "I was injured worse than you were in the attack, but your body isn't used to recovering from such horrible injuries, so it took you longer to recover. When will he be released?" I looked to the woman expectantly.

"It's up to Tsunade and Sakura to decide, but probably not for a few days. They need to observe him to ensure he is fully healed." I nodded.

"What time is it?"

"It's a little after midnight." I'd only slept for four or five hours then, since the visiting hours here ended at eight. There were still about twelve hours until Neji would be allowed to return, though.

"Thank you. When does Sakura come back on duty?"

"She'll be back to visit the two of you sometime in the morning." I nodded. The woman finished taking Ryu's vitals and other important information - memory checks, reflexes, other important body things that I tuned out - before leaving. I looked back over to see him yawn hugely, moving to stretch his arms above his head before pausing with a wince.

"Careful, there. You took some pretty bad damage to your chest and shoulders." I cautioned him. He nodded.

"What happened?" He asked, suddenly. I didn't blame him for wanting to know. I highly doubted that he even understood what was going on when he was struck. I didn't even know if he'd noticed the blood on the training grounds, or if he'd paid heed to it. It wasn't rare to be injured at practice. So, I explained what had happened, from the beginning to the end, all that I knew, which was about eighty percent of the whole story. After shielding Neji I had absolutely no idea what had happened. Ryu could have shown up ten seconds or ten minutes after I had been rendered helpless, and then the backup would have come even later.

"Neji will be able to tell you more tomorrow, when he visits." I promised with a yawn. Even though I'd just woken up, my body was still exhausted from the exertion it had been put under. I smirked when I saw Ryu yawning as well. "C'mon, let's get some more sleep." He nodded and it wasn't long before we were both out cold.

The next day Lee and Tenten accompanied Neji to visit Ryu and I. Sakura had come and gone earlier in the day. Ryu was progressing well, but he wouldn't leave for a few more days. I might be out tomorrow, but she was leaning for two days, much to my dismay. My teammates brought us flowers and books to read, and it wasn't long before we were discussing what had happened during the attack. Neji still hadn't forgiven me for taking the blow, but I wasn't having any of it. I would have done it again in a heartbeat, no matter what the consequences were. I knew he would have as well, so what was the big deal? Honestly - I was a kunoichi. I was allowed to do such things. I even told him that.

"I can make my own decisions, Neji. I'm a jounin of the Leaf too. You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing." That shut him up, because I was right. Tenten and Lee glanced between the two of us, before somehow breaking the tension with news of my other teammates.

"Nobori and Daichi are practicing still, and we're watching them." I smiled at the two.

"Thanks. Oh, while I'm thinking about it, Tenten, would you take them out on a mission if possible? Just because I'm forced to stay here doesn't mean they have to." She smiled.

"Sure! I'm sure Tsunade won't mind."

"Hey! Why can't I lead your team?" Lee asked, crestfallen.

"You survived injuries like mine before. It'll help to have you around to help get me back in shape." I said, making it up on the spot to make him happy. It _would_ be a good idea to have him help me, but I knew I'd regret my words. That boy was absolutely crazy about taijutsu, and he'd have me regretting my words before long. Still, it perked him up like I'd wanted.

"Oh, alright! Don't worry, Maia, you'll overcome it with the power of youth!" He struck a pose, and I just sighed. Of course. Power of youth. I nodded in agreement though.

That was how the next two and a half days went, for the most part. Finally I was released from the hospital, and I promised Ryu I'd come visit him until Sakura released him. It wouldn't be too long, I knew, not that it mattered. He was still tender in his chest and shoulder area, and he was weaker from the blood loss, but he was gaining strength every day. So, finally, I emerged from that building. The fact that I was on crutches didn't really matter in the long run, though it did make travel slow going.


	33. Medical Emergency

Okay, okay, okay. I know. It's been ten months and six days (totally just counted, holy Jesus) since I posted my last chapter, and I apologize for that. My muse died, as I ranted about for a good paragraph in chapter 32 for any of you who actually read this note, and I just couldn't figure out what to write about. Then I was taking final exams and leaving the country for over a month, only to come back and jump into college. Six classes, an assistant stage managing job, and four classes at a Tae Kwon Doe studio later, I'm now getting back to my fanfic. So, I apologize for the unwarranted and sudden hiatus, but I'm getting back in. To ensure that I have stuff to give you guys, I've pre-written a few chapters (just so I can keep ahead with all my commitments), but I intend to finish this story for you all before I die, I swear.

I do, however, apologize for the seemingly rushed pace my story picks up. It's kind of weird, but it worked for me so I hope you guys don't mind.

While I am afraid that my faithful readers and reviewers are no longer waiting for me, I will respond to you anyway, just in case because I loves you.

**Spyro Flavord Skittles:**Yes, he's going to be okay and Neji is ridiculous, but it gets better I promise~**  
Kaulit-Twins-Fangir**l**:**I see - well, mine must have ditched yours about two weeks ago, because that's when I started writing again. I'm sorry. I'll send your muse chocolates to make up for it.**  
Lady Phantasmagoric:**I love you for actually commenting on my author notes at the top. It's amazing and you're amazing. Thank you for the support and offer to take my time - I just hope I didn't take too much!**  
Reiincloud:**I'm working on it, I'm working on it! -slaves over a hot computer- It just doesn't seem like it some of the time.**  
BunnyNinja:** You are probably the person who had to wait the least, but thank you for your reviews none the less! And, if you read this chapter, you will have the answers to your questions!

Naruto isn't mine (nope, not even after all this time)

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three** – **_Medical Emergency_**

The next two days were pretty straightforward. Neji would walk me to the hospital and I'd stay there until visiting hours were over. He'd stay until he had to train with Tenten. Those two had taken over my genin until Ryu was out of the hospital - and Tenten was taking them out on a mission next week. I'd been confined to crutches until further notice, and I wasn't allowed to train at all either. Not that I was complaining; it was a pain - literally and figuratively! - to get around with the things, and that was without the muscle weakness that came from my injuries and blood loss. I didn't want to try fighting until I was better, though it sucked royally.

The third day, Neji and I walked with Ryu out of the hospital.

"How's it feel to be a real shinobi now?" I asked Ryu with a slight smile.

"Huh?" He asks, confused.

"You just survived your first trip to the hospital. Congratulations." I tease, and he laughs. Neji even smiles at my words. Our trip is spent in quiet after that. My fear of strange men had all but diminished as the long weeks had passed, though I did have a relapse now and then if I was having a particularly bad day. And none have ever been as bad as the one where I nearly killed that poor boy at the store, thank goodness. Not like I could pose a threat to anyone as I was - stupid crutches. I complained about them under my breath. Neji laughed while Ryu shot the both of us weird looks. Then he told us he was going to go home and catch up on homework - he'd missed almost a week of school. Neji and I, however, were heading to the training grounds - not that I was going to do any actual training. I owed it to my team to be there, though. So, we meandered at the pace my crutches forced me to, enjoying each others presence. It would be another week before we would end this habit - me visiting the hospital for checkups and extra healing before the two of us went to train.

During that week, they kept healing what they could of my side - the most dangerous of all of my injuries. While it wasn't enough to keep me in the hospital without crutches - but it did make walking quite painful. Still, it was better than living in the hospital. The sword had actually torn part of my internal organs - I was lucky to not have died from it. As such, they were trying to keep my healing paced so that my body could keep up with all that they were doing to it. It wasn't until halfway into the second week that walking wasn't painful (at least, from that wound) - meaning they had finished all they could of the healing. The tissues and skin were restored - not without major scarring - but the muscle was all gone, destroyed by that horrendous sword. The rest of the second week and the one after that was dedicated to finishing the healing that had already started on my leg and arm. With each day, the red-pink torn flesh was slowly returning to my normal skin color, except for where the actual rip was - there would always be jagged white scars on my skin to remind me of Kisame and his sword. So, by the beginning of the fourth week after the fight, I was as healed as they could get me. Nothing but training would return my muscle, but that was waiting on my cracked rib.

Fortunately - and unfortunately - there is this thing hospitals offer that is called rehabilitation. Instead of training with my team, like I wanted to, I was at the hospital with the evil doctors and their white walls. Tenten and Neji were watching out for my team - mainly Tenten, with Neji there to help out with Hanabi's training. After the amount of time training with Neji and actually training Hanabi, I was able to do the job without him. If I had the Byakugan, I didn't doubt I'd be at least half way decent at the style - but without it the Gentle Fist was as useful as a dull kunai to me. So, I was being pushed by doctors who knew exactly how to work me to get maximum results without injuring me further. Finally, four weeks after I started rehabilitation - a week shy of a full two months since my attack - I was allowed to train. The week before my rib had healed fully, but they didn't want me hurting myself so they'd held me back that last week. With the rehabilitation and extra healing I was somewhat near where I was before I landed myself in the hospital. I was just lucky that there weren't as many patients - probably due to the fact that most of the dire ones weren't there, as they were out on a mission getting new ones. Lucky me, I was ready to go.

During this time, Neji and I spent more time together - most of the teams had taken the missions, leaving Team Gai behind, for now. Actually, they'd sent Gai on a mission as well with a group of jounins for a mission, which wasn't unusual. Sometimes they claimed jounins from time to time from their teams for missions. A mission would probably soon send them away, leaving me with my team and my injuries. We went out on a date to commemorate my recovery - nowhere fancy or anything like that, though. I still have an aversion to the atmosphere that had led up to the attack on me, and I wasn't going to touch any of those places with a six foot pole, much less go into one. Instead, we had a picnic - much more relaxed and non threatening to my mental-state. The day was gorgeous, with perfect weather and not too many people about - probably because they were at school or work. I'd be back in training tomorrow, and I'd be able to fully participate, so I wanted to take full advantage of my last day off.

We sat together - well, he sat, leaning against the trunk of a tree for shade, while I laid out, resting my head on his lap looking up at him - and talked about nothing in particular; just sharing memories or opinions we didn't already know about each other. I was wearing the newest addition to my jewelry collection (okay, there were maybe a handful of things besides the ring from that awful mission, so "collection" is pushing it), courtesy of Neji. It was a emerald green stone, shaped as a heart, on a silver chain - simple in its beauty, but beautiful none the less. While we had been close before we got together, we didn't share everything; there were still some things kept out of the relationship. They weren't important to the team, and they were kept separate. We could have stayed there for hours, talking and laughing together, but we had to cut it short as a breathless Hanabi ran up to us.

"Maia-sensei, Neji-oniisan, Lady Hokage sent me to find you. She wants to see you." I sat up with a grimace; I wasn't even officially back yet, and she was calling for me.

"Did she say what it's for?" Neji asked as he rose to his feet. I gathered up our things into the basket I had brought. We wouldn't be returning here any time soon I wagered.

"No, only that it's urgent." I handed her the basket as I straightened up and brushed myself off.

"Well, we'd better not leave her waiting, then." I didn't think she'd call me so soon - after the last one I hadn't been brought in at all. It took the fight coming to me to get any action. Then again, I was so psychologically traumatized it probably wasn't a good idea. I still had trauma, but I was moderately sure I could keep it under wraps. "If you could deliver this to my house? And, if it is a mission and I'm not back any time soon, make sure you guys keep up the training." I told her firmly. They knew better than to slack off, because I would be merciless if they got lazy.

"Yes, Maia-sensei." She said, the picture of an obedient student. I grinned at her, not fooled for a moment. She bowed her head to hide her own amusement before turning and making her way towards my home, while Neji and I took off for the Hokage Tower. I wondered why she was calling me - surely she'd send other shinobi in my place. Honestly, I was about ready to start begging for a C-rank mission, just so I could do something. Maybe it was because she'd kept me out so long - she had given orders to make my healing as quick (and painful, I swear) as possible. We arrived and were ushered to her office by a secretary. Lee and Sakura were already present, and they turned to look at us as we entered. I had a brief moment to wonder why Sakura was here instead of Tenten, before I bowed slightly to Tsunade-sama.

"You summoned us, Hokage-sama?" I said as Neji followed suit. My side twinged slightly at the movement, but it was nothing compared to what would come, I could wager.

"I have a B-ranked mission for the four of you. I would send someone else, Maia, but we may have need of your skill." Ah, so there might be poison involved. And if Sakura was going, it was some form of medical emergency, if both she and I, poison and healing, were going together. "The village Tani Kita has been struck with an illness that has rendered most, if not all, of the villagers incapacitated. It may be a disease or sickness that has arrived to strike, or it may be an attack from the Sound. The village is near the border, so it is not too far fetched an idea." She looked the four of us over, falling silent for a moment. "Be cautious, the four of you. This has the potential to become very dangerous. Stay safe, and in good health. Neji, you will be the captain of this squad." She told us, before fixating upon me.

"Maia. You are to report to Sakura any pains or problems that may occur due to your recent injuries." I nodded meekly, before hastening to catch a small bottle she tossed at me. It rattled when I shook it, so it could only have pills within it. "Those should help strengthen your body, but take care not to over do it. They will not work miracles. Take one at night before you sleep." I tucked them away in my pouch.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade." I sighed internally. I would be a good girl and do as I was told, no matter how the bonds chafed. They were for my own good - and if I survived this one, she might send me on a mission with my genin squad. That would be wonderful indeed.

"You are dismissed." She told us, turning to papers on her desk. The four of us bowed and exited, pausing only when we left the tower to turn to Neji for instruction.

"We meet at the gates in forty five minutes. We must waste no time." Lives were on the line now, and we all understood the stress placed upon us. We swiftly parted ways, and I did not begrudge Neji the duty of being captain. He had to not only get his things and be at the gate in the allotted time, but he also had to get the radios and other necessary things as well. I made it home in little time and opened the already unlocked door. Ryu was home. As I was pulling my pack out of the closet, Ryu entered the room.

"What's going on? Where are you going?" He asked, leaning against the back of the couch. I was thankful I'd had weeks to rest and relax; I had plenty of poisons, medicines, and herbs to spare for this. I didn't turn to the boy as I responded - instead, I went to my desk, grabbing my pouch of soldier pills and shoving it into my kunai holster. Those were already prepped - I stayed vigilant for attack, even if there was the appearance of peace in the village.

"I'm being sent on a B-ranked mission. There's a possible poisoning up north, and I'm needed. I don't know how long I'll be away." I told him, grabbing my scrolls from their resting place next to my desk. I opened the first, the one full of my poisons and their antidotes. Since we didn't know how dangerous this mission would be, I was going to have everything I could fit on their racks within. Three vials of the poison and four of their antidotes would work, I decided, as Ryu spoke.

"But you just got out of the hospital!" Not really; that had been a few weeks ago, but I understood what he was saying. "Isn't there anyone else who can go?" I shook my head.

"I am the poison specialist of this village. Sakura is coming with me - between the two of this we'll have this mission taken care of easily. Don't worry, Ryu. Everything will be alright, you'll see. I am a kunoichi of the village - this is my duty. I must do the mission." I turned back to smile lightly at him. "When you become a shinobi with missions of your own, you'll understand the drive." Even as I spoke, my hands moved and sealed the vials away. Then I was in the second scroll, barely pausing to furl the first and put it away. These were my healing potions - within it I tucked every healing potion I had made. Twenty of my strongest healing potions and seventeen of my lesser ones were all I had at this time - the rest having been given to others for their missions. Many of them had hypodermic needle caps, but some did not; I hoped that wouldn't be an issue. Then came one of my best, and most difficult, creations: chakra restoratives. They were somewhat similar to the soldier pill, but much more effective. I had poured a lot of my own chakra into these potions to make them as powerful as they were; I only had eleven, but every single one of them went into my scroll. With no other potion to pack, I shoved roll after roll of bandages into it before closing the seal. I felt like a walking hospital - as I should, since I was going to a medical emergency. I glanced at the clock as Ryu broke the silence again.

"Who else is going with you?"

"Neji and Lee are the other members of the squad." I told him, skipping the third scroll to go to the fourth - my herb and seed pouch. I had created a jutsu that would allow seeds to grow if I put enough power behind it - they could be brambles to harm or plants to be made into potions. Everything I had on the desk was tucked into the scroll, after being placed into a pouch and properly marked. I risked a glance at the clock and smothered a curse. I had twenty minutes left if I was to get to the gate in time. I scooped my pack and scroll holster into my arms and rushed to my room, Ryu following to watch me. I dropped my things on the bed and turned to him.

"In my desk should be plenty of money for anything you might need. Don't spend it foolishly, mind you." I cautioned. He nodded, remembering my fury when I had returned to see he'd spent a good deal on foolish knickknacks and other things we had no need of, because he'd had the opportunity to do so. "You're to go to Tenten's house, as always." He opened his mouth to argue, but I held up a finger. "I have no time to argue with you. You are not a genin yet, and as such you will not remain here alone. Do as I say, please." He nodded, before turning and going to his room to pack as well. I rushed to my wardrobe and pulled out my kimono-like shirts, pants, and my detachable sleeves that hid my senbons. I rolled the shirts and pants together quickly, before tying the bundle together with the sleeves. I got seven days worth of clothes, and packed them into my bag quickly, before quickly changing clothes. I was wearing clothes that weren't meant for travel and fighting. So, off they and the necklace I had received went - I'd hate to lose such a pretty gift - and on came my fighting clothes. Then, my senbon holsters, already primed and ready to go, went on under my sleeves. There was just enough room for the rations I had to carry, and once again I was scooping up my things to sprint to the kitchen. Into the bag I tossed packages of dried noodle-balls that had herbs within, as well as dried meat and fruits. The meat and noodles could make decent stew, or the meat and fruit could be eaten cold. Then came energy bars and some fresh fruit that would keep for a few days. I pulled my pack and scroll holster onto my back, and then I looked at the clock once more. I had only a few minutes to spare, then I had to leave. I went to Ryu's room, tapping lightly on the door to get his attention.

"It's time for me to go." I told him gently, and he was on his feet and rushing at me to wrap his arms around my waist. It jarred my side as he did so, but I made no move to pull his arms free. The mission had the potential to be quite deadly and dangerous - all B-ranked missions came with such risks, but not nearly as much as an A-rank. Not that it mattered to Ryu - or me, even. This might very well be the last time we saw each other, though I feverishly prayed otherwise. I hugged him back and pressed my lips to the top of his head. "Be good while I'm gone; I'll be back before you know it, just you wait and see. Train with Tenten and my team - it'll help the time pass." I told him. He nodded, his head pressed against my chest. He'd gotten so much taller since I had taken charge of him! After a long moment, I sighed and pulled back gently. I kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair. "Gotta go now, or I'll be late and Neji will be mad." I made a face, which made him laugh as I had intended. He walked me to the door, where I pulled my sandals on, and then I was gone, rushing to get to the gates before I was late. I arrived in the nick of time, though the others looked like they had been there for a bit.

"Sorry." I said sheepishly, getting my head in the game. The clock was ticking, and lives were counting on us. I accepted the radio from Neji and then we were leaving. As I tucked the earpiece in and strapped the microphone to my throat, I found it had been set to the channel needed already. I steeled myself for a long run - this was going to be a trial in and of itself. I would push past that, though. We had no time for my wounds to delay us. So, ignoring the slight twinges of pain in my leg and side, I took end position. Neji was lead with Lee close behind. Sakura was third, and then there was me. It was a basic defensive position - I hoped we wouldn't need it.

We arrived in Tani Kita at around noon the day after we had set out. Since we had left a little after noon the day before, we had made exceptionally good time, especially given that my body wasn't used to these runs anymore. I had painkillers the doctors had given me when I had left the hospital, and I used these as a crutch to make it through. I had seen Sakura giving me worried glances, but I waved her off. I would survive this. Sakura and I brushed past the men in our group as soon as we arrived, looking through the homes to see what the situation was. Lee and Neji followed in our wake, awaiting orders. We went house to house to check the vital signs of the people. Neji and Lee carried those who had died out of the houses - there weren't too many of them, thankfully. While I started to examine a girl for what the deeper symptoms were, Sakura began airing out the building and issuing orders through the microphone.

"Neji, find the biggest pot you can and fill it with fresh water from a river. I don't know if the water was poisoned to make these villagers sick, and I don't have time to find out." He set out to do the duty without hesitation - he may be captain but she was in her element. "Lee, get firewood and make a fire in the village center. We need to get these people fed." He saluted and took off into the woods surrounding the village.

While she was doing that, my hands were still on the girl, though I was frowning and a bit confused. I saw she had a swollen throat - which was probably why the people were dying. They couldn't eat or drink well, nor could they breathe after a time. But there was something deeper, something I couldn't put my finger on, though I should know it. It was like a word on the tip of my tongue - I knew it, but it was slipping away as I grasped for it. I soothed her throat the best I could and moved on to another patient - a boy. I glanced around. Most of the people in this room were children; maybe the villagers had tried to keep them away from the sickness? Or maybe it struck them first - a child's immune system wasn't as strong as an adults, as they were still developing. Maybe with this one I could figure out what was nagging at the edges of my brain. Before I started, I told Sakura about their throats.

"Could I get some of your herbs, then? I can start working on a strengthening agent that will help their throats while you work with them." She told me. I nodded and strode over to a table, where I broke the seal and allowed the pouches to be freed. Then I pulled out my third scroll and broke the seal on it as well.

"That second scroll has all the equipment you should need to mix up the remedy. Use whatever you need - I have seeds to grow more if we have a need." I told her, before going back to the boy.

"Seeds will take months. We don't have months, Maia." She told me as she turned to her work.

"I can grow them faster with a jutsu. It's just very draining." Then, I was working on the boy. I did my best to alleviate some of the swelling to ease his breathing - I had more chakra than I did as a genin, but I didn't have the reserves of a medical ninja. I had to do little things, or I'd run out. That nagging sense was back again, just as strong as the girl but just as elusive as it had been on the girl. Just as I was about to ask Sakura to come take a look at them, Neji's voice entered my ear through the radio.

"There's someone in the square. Is it one of you?" No one within the village was able to move. They were all bedridden with weakness from their illness. Neji had asked if it was one of us - which was weird, because he should be able to tell. Lee responded in the negative, which showed it was an outsider. This might be the one who caused this sickness - or it could be a traveler.

"It's not us. I'll take care of it." I replied as Sakura made to set down her mortar and pestle, within which was the beginnings of a remedy. "Keep working, Sakura. They need you more here. I'll survive until Neji or Lee arrive." She nodded, looking worried as she turned back to the table. I casually strode over to the door and exited the building and hurried towards one of the buildings across the town square, as if I were just going to help the people within. This should bring me near the interloper. I showed no sign of knowing that I wasn't alone in the square, though my senses were on high alert. I didn't see anyone, but that just told me they had moved into hiding as soon as I'd left the building with Sakura. That made me even more wary - they probably weren't just a casual traveler then. As I reached the center of the square, I leaped to the side as a kunai came at me. Nope, they were dangerous - they'd probably caused the sickness in this town to draw us out. We were in for a battle, it seemed.

"Show yourself!" I called out in the quiet square, my eyes darting at the shadows to find the person attacking me. As I did so, I drew out two kunai by feel - both were deadly. I had no qualms about killing a person who would poison others to draw out a response team. Another kunai, from a different angle than the first, followed by a third from another location. I looked around, ducking and dodging back towards the building where Sakura was with relative ease. "Neji, can you see if there's more than one person here?" I asked into the radio, before I leaped backwards to avoid an assault of weapons. I landed with my back against the wall of the building I had exited earlier. I ducked and a kunai embedded itself in the wall above me. I glanced up at it and scrambled to grab it and toss it away - it had an exploding tag on it.

"I'm having a hard time seeing into the village." Neji admitted, and I paused in shock. I'd never heard of his Byakugan - or anyone's Byakugan, for that matter - having difficulty in seeing, unless it was very far away. We couldn't be that far - well within his range of sight. I nearly got skewered for my response. They were either moving too fast for me to see, or there were multiple enemies that were having fun toying with me.

"You have never had difficulties like this before. Are you okay?" Lee asked. "I'm on my way, Maia." He said, belatedly, to me.

"I'm fine. It's strange; I can see everything else fine, it's just... the village. Hang on." He went silent. Meanwhile, I was rushing towards where one of the attackers were - all of my kunais had been deflected with weapons of their own. I had to get up close and personal. Before I could get too far, though, a strangled gasp sounded through the radio - I had only heard it once before. I took refuge in the shadows next to a building. The last time Neji had made a sound like that was when we were trapped in the barrier that was stealing our chakra, when we were trying to save Sasuke.

"Neji? What's wrong?" I asked, half afraid of the answer I'd receive.

"It's... it's the village." He said, his voice rough.

"What about the village, Neji?"

"There's a poweful genjutsu over it. Very powerful. It... it's horrible." That might be why I couldn't seem to spot my attackers, if there was a genjutsu. They could mask their movements with the illusion. I quickly formed the seals to release it's power over me, forcing my will to overcome what they didn't want me to see. I braced myself for the terrors that Neji had pronounced, but the town didn't seem very changed. Besides obvious wear and tear from everyday use from people, it didn't look bad at all. I couldn't see what he was going on about - there was nothing terrible here. I could see my enemies now - there were five of them. There wasn't an army here to slaughter us. So what was wrong?

A muffled shriek came from the building I'd left Sakura in, and I broke from my cover to go help her. Maybe there were more enemies than I had originally thought. I was across the square and throwing the door open, ready to help her defend the patients within from whatever assailant had come after her. The sight that met my eyes was much worse than I could have imagined, and I could understand why Sakura had screamed. If I hadn't been warned by her response, I might have cried out as well. Then, I understood what my senses had been trying to tell me earlier. It didn't make sense before, so my mind shoved away the truth that had lay underneath the illusion.

Everyone within the building had been killed.


	34. Massacre

Okay, so here's our next chapter, following after that wonderful cliffhanger called Chapter 33. Ehh, I don't really have much for this section today.

**Spyro Flavord Skittles: **Nope! My brain is very much un-fried. Your offer is very much appreciated. I messaged you about this before, but I wanted to acknowledge your comment publicly as well. And to me always apologizing... I _always_ apologize - even in real life. It makes my friends mad sometimes. :D  
**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl:** You are quite welcome. =] And yes, Neji doesn't like strong genjutsu at _all_. Poor guy.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four** – _Massacre_

My eyes took in the carnage before me, my mind reeling in horror. Blood was in pools on the floor and it streaked the walls. Some had their throats slashed, while others had been sliced nearly in half. And these were just the children. They had been here for awhile - their bodies had swollen from the heat generated from being closed up and under blankets - which had given me something to diagnose them with. My hand flew to my mouth as my stomach tried to rebel; it was more than horrible. This was gruesome, it was a monstrosity. I had seen quite a bit in my life, and had experienced even more, but nothing could prepare a person for something like this. I hastily shoved the sorrow for these people into the corner of my mind - the enemy was outside and would take advantage of this lapse in attention if we weren't ready. I darted over to the table and shoved my things back into the seals before they could become more contaminated or get scattered in the fight to come. As I did this, I spoke to Sakura, who was standing wide eyed before the table, trembling.

"Sakura." She didn't respond. "Sakura!"

"They didn't have a chance, did they? They didn't do anything but live under our protection. How could this happen?" She was babbling, in shock from the horror before her eyes. She couldn't seem to distance herself from it, like I had. I had shoved the shock and horror away, and only rage was left. I would feel what I had pushed away later, but for now I couldn't deal with it, and neither could she. I didn't want to end up like them. I finished sealing the last scroll, and as I tucked it away I slapped her just hard enough to snap her out of the fit she was sending herself into.

"Sakura, we have to-" I broke off as I spotted something in the window. "Duck!" I shoved her down as a handful of kunai embedded themselves into the corpse of the little girl I had been working on earlier. Then I was pushing Sakura towards the door, as I saw more explosives on the weapons there. A loud explosion erupted behind us, and though we were several feet away, I could still feel the heat of it on my back. "Come on, Sakura, we have to fight. There are enemies out there." I ordered firmly, using everything I had to get her in fighting condition. She shook her head, and for a moment I thought she was refuting me, but then she looked at me, her eyes hard.

"Let's go." There was the girl who had killed one of the Akatsuki. Good. She was the one I needed, not the quivering, scared mess of a girl she had become for a moment. It reminded me of when she had come to us at the gates, that day we had left to find Sasuke. At least she hadn't started to cry. We turned to assess our enemies - three of them were men, and they were all wearing Sound hitai-ates.

"Are you the ones responsible for this massacre?" I called to them.

"What if we are?" A female called back, in a mocking voice. I didn't care to respond, I just leaped into action, sprinting towards the female that had spoke as I drew two kunai. She grinned and pulled out a long dagger, but at the last moment I turned and I slammed into one of the men - he was pretty big, and taller than I was to boot - and shoved a kunai into his side. I glanced down at the weapon - it had a white nylon strand on it, showing that it caused extreme dizziness. Ah well; I had hoped it was deadly, but I hadn't really paid attention to what I had grabbed. Then I was thrown backwards by the man - the poison hadn't set in yet. Before the woman could lunge forward and use that wicked blade, Sakura leaped over me and threw a punch, which the woman barely evaded. I rolled onto my feet and shielded my face as two shuriken came at me, lodging deep into my arm, one going deep into my new scar from Kisame. I left them where they were - I wouldn't bleed as badly if I left them there, though they hurt. Before I could even attempt to find who threw them, Neji and Lee arrived.

I wondered what took so long. Honestly, had they run a mile from the village? They could have showed up a bit sooner! Lee attacked the person in front of me - who I had to assume threw the shuriken - and behind me I heard Neji begin his own attacks. I whirled and went for the last one, a man with two short swords. Wonderful - not only was I fighting a guy with weapons longer than my own, but he could use them in both hands. He grinned as he made his attack, putting me on defense. I tried to lunge in between his blades to get a hit in and was nearly run through for my trouble. This man was fast. So, dodging backwards I made a few hand seals and shot my Leaf Blades at him. Unlike the ones from training, these had as much chakra as I could shove into them. They hit to gouge and maim; they were meant to kill. Many painful scratched etched themselves into his arms, sides, and legs - and one even managed to score above his left eye, sending blood into his vision. I would use that to my advantage, and put myself on offense, shoving him into the defensive role.

I defeated him not long after that, after I accidentally used one of my Pain kunai on him. I gave him a mercy stroke when he fell over, shaking from the experience, though he didn't deserve it if he'd helped murder the villagers. There was only one left alive - and that was the woman from before, of all things. Sakura was ready to finish her off, when I called out.

"Stop! I have questions for her." Her fist stopped literally inches from the womans nose. I thought she wasn't going to listen anyway, when suddenly the fight left her and she moved away. I walked closer before the woman could move, and I shoved her over with a well placed kick and stepped harshly on her upper arm, my heel digging past the muscle and between the tendons, right against the bone, causing the woman into crying out. I had learned a thing or two from Ibiki. "You will answer all of my questions, woman." I told her in my most confident voice. "If I even think you're lying, you will be put through pain. Do you understand me?" I asked her, my gaze turning hard as I pushed myself to do what I must. I could get answers from this woman more easily than the others. She glared daggers, but remained silent. I smiled grimly at her. "I have broken much stronger than you, my dear. Don't try to be a hero - your comrades are dead." She gave a broken laugh.

"I'll be joining them soon enough. You won't have anything from me. You're no Ibiki, little girl." I laughed humorlessly at her. Many had heard of Ibiki - he was famed for his skills in interrogation. Unfortunately, due to my skills as a poison crafter, I could be very useful in extracting information. This meant that, whenever Ibiki had need of me, or there was an interrogation needing to be done and Ibiki wasn't around, I was called in. I loathed the job, and what it forced me to become - a tool to break people of their wills and force them to tell me their secrets.

"I have worked more times with Ibiki than I would care to count. You'll talk, have no doubts. The pain you must go through is up to you. Now, why did you slaughter the village?" At my question, I heard Sakura gasp. I turned to look at her, and saw Lee and Neji watching me with wide eyes, and I wondered what they thought of this side of me. Sakura's back was to me, but her shoulders were shaking. "Get her out of here." I ordered harshly, flinging one hand out to point towards the forest. "None of you need to stay. I can handle this alone." I turned away from them and heard footsteps retreating. I pulled my headphone from my ear and let it hang freely from my neck so I wouldn't be distracted anymore, and turned my attention back to the task at hand. "Answer me, woman. Why did you slaughter the villagers?" She laughed at me again.

"Are you stupid? We wanted to kill you and your friends, fool."

"Of course you did. What then? Now you have a village of dead people. The Hokage would lash out with a force to be reckoned with. That can't be the only goal." She just grinned at me, so I dug my heel in further, causing her to wince. "Do not make me put you through more pain." I cautioned. "Answer me." Still no response. Unfortunately for her, I wasn't Ibiki. Ibiki could ramp up the pain slowly or quickly, depending on what he deemed to be necessary. He had interrogation down to an art. While I knew torture techniques, I didn't have the right tools here in the field - I wasn't as good with my hands in this situation as perhaps I should. As such, my pain went from terrible to excruciating very quickly. I sighed as I drew the kunai that would bring it upon her.

"Unfortunately for you, you are right. I am not Ibiki." She seemed relieved - she probably thought I was going to kill her. "I am something much worse." I crouched down, putting more weight on her arm, though I was careful not to break it. I didn't like the feel of breaking a persons bones - it disturbed me more than anything else in this business. "Just remember that you brought this pain upon yourself." I told her as I put the kunai against the base of her throat, where her shoulder met her neck. Still, she seemed at ease, and she thought I'd cut her throat. Instead, I drug the blade into a small gouge, running the edge of the blade completely through the open flesh, giving her a full dose. Then I stepped back and off of the woman's arms.

"That's it? That's your terrible pain?" She sneered at me, making to get onto her feet. I tossed the blade to the side, out of her reach, and locked my hands behind me so she couldn't see them shake. I hated doing this. "You're a fool, woman, and I'm going to make you- oh!" She had almost gotten to her feet, when she staggered and fell to her knees, one hand going to the wound in her throat. It would start there - a slow, burning sensation that would increase dramatically. Past that, I really didn't know what it did. I never put myself through it, and no one who had taken the dose was trying to give me information to save their lives and end the pain. All I knew was that it hurt a lot.

"Tell me what I want to know, and I promise the pain will end." I told her as she paled from Pain. Her free hand formed a fist, and I saw blood ooze from around her fingers where she'd cut her palms. I didn't bat an eye - I'd seen a lot of different things used to try to alleviate the pain. Some believed it was actually a genjutsu, and causing themselves harm would save them. Others tried using mental techniques to distance themselves, but the pain was unending and relentless. Eventually, I would get what I wanted. Very few could hold out long against it. "What was the end goal for this village?"

And then the wailing. It was a terrible sound; I shuddered and closed my eyes. How did Ibiki do this and stay sane? I didn't like prolonging her agony, but I had to do this. It was my duty to get what I could from her. I opened my eyes when she finally stopped, and ignored the tears streaming down her face. When I felt pity, I reminded myself of the villagers and how she had mercilessly killed them. "The... the sec-second wave." She said at last, her voice broken and labored through the pain wracking her body. "We-we'd set it u-u-up like befo-before, send a m-m-mess-message t-to the Ho-Hokage. K-Kill the ne-next, l-large group." She stammered, her words slurring and her sentences growing shorter, but I understood. If the emergency was bad enough to take out the first response, then more would be needed and a larger group would be sent to battle what had taken out the others. I nodded.

"Did Orochimaru set this up? Or was it the Akatsuki?" I just wanted verification, though I was certain that it was Orochimaru, given the hitai-ate she wore. Still, people defected all the time, and both groups were formidable enemies of the Leaf.

"O-Orochi-Orochimaru. P-Please, l-la-lady, en-end it." She begged - they all ended up begging. That made it worse, made it harder, when they begged. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists behind my back, thinking of other questions I needed answering. When she wasn't speaking or screaming, she was whimpering plaintively, like an injured dog.

"What other plans does he have for the Leaf. Will he do this again? Is he actually going to use disease, or will it be more of the same?" I demanded of her, hoping she'd know something. It would greatly help those who would have to respond later to missions like this one.

"Ma-Maybe s-same. S-Sou-Sounded l-like he-he had s-sa-same p-plan-plans f-for oth-other p-pla-places." She wheezed. "W-Wants to we-wea-weak-weaken L-Leaf; wa-wants t-to k-kill y-you. Ta-Take L-Le-Leaf fo-for se-self." She wailed again, this time it was more hoarse and pitiful. When it ended, she was moaning low and soft, like a dying animal. I nodded, forcing myself to ignore the cry and moanss; this was information we already surmised, but she was forthcoming with information now. She'd say anything for relief - either an antidote or death. At this moment, I knew she cared about nothing except the end of the pain that only seemed to get worse. From what I understood, it attacked the body in stabbing, burning pains and it kept the body from numbing itself to the pain, as all bodies did when the pain got that bad. "De-Destroy. M-May-Maybe k-kill s-sma-small vil-village t-to ta-take ou-out sh-shi-shin-shinobis. Wh-Whittle." She was just repeating herself - she had nothing else for me, if that was all she could come up with in her terror and pain. I knelt and drew a clean kunai.

"I am sorry you had to experience this. I hope you find more peace in the afterlife." As I drew the blade across her throat, a blissful look of peace came over her features, as the pain finally receded. I had seen that look a few times on victims such as these, and it still sickened me. As what I had done, the dead children I had seen, rushed back to me, I had to lean away from the woman before I vomited on her corpse - though she might have deserved it the though revolted me. Instead, I managed to move a few feet to her - its - left and what little was in my stomach came up. Cool hands pulled my braid back carefully, as the spiked braid was in it. I jumped, but didn't turn back to see who it was, half afraid her corpse had gotten up and was about to strangle me with it. Instead, I let my stomach quit heaving before I ventured a look behind me.

I should have guessed it would be Neji behind me.

"I told you to leave. You should have left. You shouldn't have watched that." My words were whisper quiet, and I started to tremble. The carnage - all those children, dead! - the fight, the torture; it was all too much, just too much. The mission wasn't supposed to turn out like this, it wasn't supposed to end in this much death. The villagers should have survived, and I shouldn't have needed to torture anyone. And past that, I was afraid of what my teammates thought of me, of the cold, cruel Maia that would torture a woman for the information she held, ignoring her screams and whimpers of pain. When I tortured at the village, it was in an insulated room without windows. Very few past Ibiki, the Hokage, and I were subject to the people as they were going through the pain - no one wanted to watch it. I didn't blame them; it was terrible and it was disgusting. I feared and respected no one more than Ibiki, because of his ability to stay sane through it all.

"Come on, Maia. Let's go to the forest. Where's your pack?" I had forgotten that I had taken it off in the heat of battle - the scrolls had been open and in front of me, so I'd taken care of them. I didn't grab my pack, which had been near the door of the building. I pointed at the building, which had a nice big hole in the wall and ceiling. "Alright. Let's go, on your feet." He helped me up with gentle hands that shook, making it obvious that the cool, calm front was just that. Once up, I managed to pull out of his grip.

"I must disgust you." I muttered at his pained look, before turning away from him to stagger towards the still smoking building. I needed to pull myself together; I was on the brink of tears from the stress and horrors of this day. Normally I could be strong and collected, distant from the torture I had helped or the pain of a battle, but no one could go through something as horrible as this without feeling horrible and wanting to die a little bit. I hadn't managed a handful of steps before Neji's arms closed around me, pulling me back against him with a wince. I lost my breath and struggled for a moment in pure fear - I still had lapses from... from... I pulled my brain away from that line of thinking - I couldn't deal with _that_on top of this. I just could not. I would break. I forced my muscles to relax as Neji's arms loosened to give me the space my body demanded, but I couldn't stop the shaking.

"You don't disgust me, Maia." He murmured, his lips almost touching my ear. "You did what you had to do, and you hated it. I saw you - you didn't want to do it, but duty forced your hand. It's okay." He whispered, and I raised my hand to my eyes to wipe the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. He released me and grabbed my hand, gently tugging me towards the building. When we were there, he let me go at the solid wall and told me to stay, before entering the horrible room. I didn't mind letting him think for me - it meant I could shut my brain off and ward off the thoughts of what lay behind this wall. Neji returned with my bag slung over one shoulder a few minutes later; I was surprised it survived the explosion. The only wear it showed was the ash that had settled upon it, which even now was shaking loose as he moved.

"Let's leave the village." He said, extending one hand to me. I stared at him for a moment, taking a deep breath and exhaling before nodding and putting my hand in his, twining our fingers easily. My arm still ached from where the shuriken were embedded, but until I saw Sakura I didn't want to remove them. It wasn't until we had put a yard of trees between us and the town that I spoke.

"What... What happens to them? The bodies?" I asked, softly. We should care for them - it was only right - but I couldn't imagine doing the duty. Their poor, broken bodies had laid without their rest for so long; we couldn't deny them the rights of the dead like the enemy had. We were not Sound, not of Orochimaru - we were Leaf, firmly aligned with Tsunade-sama.

"I am going to send Lee to the the closest village that has messenger birds so that he can send word back to the Hokage. I would send either you or Sakura, but he is the fastest of us all." I nodded in understanding - it was the best plan. "He will also spread the word through any town or village he passes through, to warn them of possible attacks. I only hope that there isn't another trap already laid somewhere else."

"If there is, we can only pray our warning reaches Tsunade-sama in time." He nodded grimly in agreement.

"As for those in the village... we will start digging graves tomorrow. Hopefully Tsunade sends us aid to care for them, but we must do our duty." I sighed, my shoulders sagging. I knew my duty, though I hated it at times. We would do what we had trained to do, no matter what it cost us. No matter how much we wanted to run away, to forget ourselves just once, we could not. "We will get through this, Maia. It's just another trial for us to face." I nodded, my face bleak. I hurt all over - I probably had bruises along with the two gouges in my arm - which were still oozing blood - though most of the pain wasn't from the physical battle. The mental and spiritual blows I had suffered - the torture and the massacre, respectively - were a harsher blow than any bodily wound.

We arrived in the camp that had been hastily thrown together. Sakura was sitting with her back against a tree, staring into the fire Lee was stoking, tears rolling down her face as she mourned silently. Lee's face - usually animated and excited - was gloomy and melancholy; it reminded me of when he was still unsure if he could continue to be a shinobi years ago, when Gaara had crushed his leg and arm. I pulled away from Neji to rest a hand on his shoulder briefly, before turning to the pink haired woman.

"Sakura." I gently tapped her shoulder. She turned her head towards me. "I'm sorry, but could you heal me, please?" I asked softly, gesturing to my injuries. I'd have stemmed off the bleeding myself, if I had enough juice in me to pull it off. I didn't want a massive migraine on top of the stress of the day, thanks. Besides, the one that had lodged itself in my newest scar was deep, deeper than I could heal myself. Sakura stared at me for a moment, before sighing and raising her hand. I tugged the two blades out with a wince, but the pain was soothed by the green healing light of her jutsu. It didn't take very long, and then she was withdrawing from me and the rest of the world again, to mourn in her own way.

I rose and glanced around - Neji was speaking to Lee in low tones, probably about his assignment tomorrow. I decided I'd make dinner, then. Neji had gotten a pot of water, but lord only knew where it was. After a brief word with him, he directed me towards the river. After finding a cooking pot amongst our belongings, I went to the river and filled it with the cold, clear water and returned to start soup with the noodle balls and dried meat I had brought. The only noises in the clearing were from the fire and Lee, who was repeatedly punching a tree to vent. I watched him with weary eyes, and wondered if I should stop him. Movement caught my eye, and I turned to look at Neji, who shook his head lightly. Very well then, I would leave him be.

With nothing more to do at the fire, I retreated to leave Sakura to whatever peace she could find. I sat back against a tree, where I could watch my team mates with ease. Neji came to sit next to me, giving what comfort he could while taking the little I had to give. It was only when I saw that the bandages on Lee's hands were turning red with blood that I rose and walked over away from Neji. I rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing him to look over at me, though his arms stayed in motion. There were tears streaming from his pained eyes. He might not have seen the bodies, but he knew what had happened all the same. My free hand went to his arms, which I used to deflect his arms down and away from the bark. I knew he was much stronger than I was, so I knew he wasn't fighting me. I wished fiercely that Tenten was here - she knew this man much better than I did, but I couldn't let him hurt himself.

"Oh, Lee." I murmured, and I pulled him into a hug. He was a bit taller than me, but that didn't stop him from pressing his face into my shoulder anyway. I didn't speak as I felt the shoulder of my shirt get wet - instead, I gently rocked back and forth, as if he were a child instead of a grown man, making soft soothing noises. After a period of time, Lee shifted and stepped back, and I released him with a small, tentative smile. He returned the look, and I wondered if my face showed the same amount of grief as his. Then he moved around me, pausing for a moment to squeeze my shoulder in thanks. He went to the fire to sit near Sakura, the object of his affection even after all this time. I returned to sit next to Neji, and except for the assignment of night watch, it was silent for the rest of the long night.


	35. Burial Detail

****So, here's my next chapter. Woo, getting up there! Kinda excited actually - but that might be because it's also Christmas in two days. It's awesome. Anyways. I hope you like this - no mean cliffhangers this time around.

**Kaulitz-Twins-Fangirl****:** I totally get where you're coming from. I have no idea if those two are going to get together in the end or if it's gonna be a different pairing, or what. I really haven't a clue.

**Spyro Flavord Skittles: **I'm sorry it's sad. I'm sorry to say this, but it's gonna get a _lot_ sadder before it gets better. I'm having a hard time writing a chapter because it's just awful D:. There. There's your foreshadowing, everyone.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Five** – _Burial Detail_

The next day was a trial. After breakfast, Lee left us to head towards a village to the east, one with messenger birds. I'd supplied him with a few of my potions, marking them with different colored threads so he'd know the difference. The village was about half a days run away - at least for Lee at top speed. He'd check in once he arrived there, but he wouldn't return to us until he had a reply from the Hokage. Until then, we would have to manage without him. Then he was gone, leaving us to our thankless task. We searched through the buildings, ignoring the blood and bodies around us, for shovels - once found we found a suitable grave site and started to dig a mass grave; we didn't have time to count the bodies and bury them all separately.

Unfortunately for us, there would be more enemies coming tomorrow, and we would still be here. Hopefully we could surprise them and take them down as well - less people to deal with from the Sound. We couldn't necessarily leave until we had our orders. As we dug, we discussed what we would do when the enemy arrived.

"Maia, could you do that genjutsu they did?" Neji asked me. I shook my head as I shoved the spade into the earth and threw even more dirt out of our quickly forming hole. I was ignoring the strain it put on my body - unless it felt like I ripped something, I wouldn't comment on it. Sakura and Neji were nearby, digging in the same pit as I. Together, we were making quick work of the ground.

"No. I don't know how they pulled it off, but I couldn't do it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was multiple genjutsus instead of just one, and that everyone in that group had built a piece of the overall illusion. It was too complex. I could do something smaller, though." I told him. So, we couldn't lay a trap for them in that way - lull them into false security by believing that their people were still alive.

"Alright. We'll have to think of something else, then." He said, and we fell into silence as we all pondered what to do. As the dirt walls rose higher and higher on our pit, Sakura finally broke the quiet among us with an idea of her own. It was a trap of itself - maybe it would be enough to work if there was a stronger force that came at us. When we broke off working to have lunch, we discussed it in fine detail, making sure it had the best possible chance of success. It was as we were finishing up that Lee reported in - he had made it to the village, and everything was fine there.

Then it was back to work. We added a few feet to our pit, and then came the hardest part of the job. The actual burial. We started ferrying the dead from the nearest building to the grave, lining them up as neatly as we could on the bottom. We didn't want to have to dig another pit, so we would do this with as much organization as possible. An hour later saw all the bodies of the first two houses in the hole, filling up a good portion of the hole. Thankfully, this wasn't a large village, and there were only the children and one other house to empty. We left the children for last - none of us wanted to deal with them yet. Fortunately, there was _just_enough room in the hole for all of them. Thankfully, children aren't as tall as adults, and that made all the difference. We stood at one edge of the pit when it was all done, looking down at our work.

"Shouldn't we say something?" Sakura whispered. Neji nodded, but neither of them had any words to give.

"Thank you, for your sacrifce." I called, over the grave, as if they could still hear me. "It is unfortunate that your lives have ended so abruptly, but you are in a better place now. Your deaths will not be forgotten, nor will they be in vain." I wasn't versed in funeral etiquette, so that was the best I could do. After another moment of silence, we hefted our shovels again and began to bury them. It didn't take nearly as long to bury them as it did to dig the grave to begin with, since there were bodies within taking up space that had once been occupied by the dirt we were using to cover them. As the sun was setting, we were finished with our grisly task, and I wanted a bath to get all of the blood off of me. The others shared the same sentiments.

Sakura and I bathed first in the river. It was cold, so we were in and out pretty quickly, but it was wonderful to get the signs of death and injury off of us. When we were dressed, we relieved Neji of his guard duty and took over the camp. Sakura went to check the stew we had started at lunch as I kept alert for any signs of intruders. There was nothing, as we expected - trouble was to arrive tonight or tomorrow, but we were pretty certain that they would come tomorrow. Neji reappeared in the camp after a good amount of time had passed, and announced the watch schedule. Sakura had first, I was second, and he would take last. We discussed the plan again over the stew Sakura dished out to us, and then, as the moon began to rise, Neji and I went to sleep. During my watch I took the time to change the poison on my senbons, but other than that, there was nothing to keep me awake. As we had thought, the enemy wouldn't come until the sun had risen.

The next morning, Sakura and I went to the village again, and made ourselves comfortable. From our position, I could see the grave site and the bodies of the enemies we had left unburied, along with two logs, for our plan. Not that they deserved a burial. We expected we were in for a long wait, so we sat and listened to our radios for Neji to tell us when to prepare. Lee had checked in this morning before we left camp, telling us there wasn't any word from Lady Hokage yet, but it shouldn't be too long now. She wouldn't leave something this important unheeded, unless something bad was going on at the village.

Sakura and I chatted about nothing important, to while away the time, but before too long - much sooner than we had anticipated, in fact - Neji was telling us that the enemy was approaching. I quickly created the genjutsu I had been tasked with - I hid the graveyard, the remaining pile of dirt, and the gaping hole in the house, as well as changing the two logs left near the enemy into dead leaf shinobi. Finally, I made Sakura and I appear wounded, to make us seem like easy prey. I laid down with my head on my pack, and Sakura acted like she was tending to my wounds. I could hold this genjutsu for awhile, thankfully, and I could probably go longer if I needed to with help from soldier pills and my chakra potions. By the time I had finished the genjutsu, Neji was murmuring into the radio, saying they were about to enter the village. Well, so much for waiting long - they'd probably find us pretty quick. The sight would throw them off, probably, and we could strike as they tried to figure out what had happened.

"Sakura, get out of here. Report to Hokage-sama - we don't know if there's anyone else out there." I told the pink haired woman, trying to sound like I was in pain, yet someone in charge. I'd made myself look pretty bad, but Sakura's fake wounds weren't nearly as awful, so of course I'd send her away - even if it was my last hope at life. Somehow news had to get back to the Hokage, right? Movement behind Sakura made me look past her to the road beyond - four people were standing there, all with Sound hitai-ate.

"Sakura! Behind you!" My voice was breathless and urgent this time, as my eyes widened in shock. The girl whirled and pulled out a kunai. I made a show of lurching to my feet and holding my side with one hand, while grabbing a weapon as well, though it looked like I was unsteady and shaky.

"You should have ran when you had the chance, girl." The man who spoke took a step towards us, and the way he held himself made me think he was the leader. He looked the two of us over, then glanced past us at the bodies, which caused him to glare at us. "You'll pay for what you did to them. We're gonna make your deaths nice and slow." The people around him made to move forward, and I threw my kunai feebly, as if I were losing strength. It skidded to a stop a few feet before the enemy.

"Run, Sakura. I'll keep them here." I gasped out, as I dropped to one knee. Soon. We'd take care of them soon. The enemy laughed at me.

"_You_? Keep us here? I think not." One of the other members mocked, kicking my kunai out of the way as they advanced. They drew closer and closer, until finally they were within mere feet of us. "This is going to be fun." The man leered at us. Sakura had been hovering next to me, not unlike a worried mother, since I had fallen, but now she turned towards the enemy. Then, as they drew closer to grab us, we snapped into action.

Before I even thought about it, I had released senbons into my hands and were flinging them at the people before us - I caught two of them in the arm while the rest were dodged. Down went the genjutsu - instead of two meek women about to be killed, there were two enemy bearing down upon them. The two I hit would be dead soon - the poison I had switched the senbons to was from paralysis and sleep to deadly. We needed no answers from these men, only their deaths would suffice. However, the other two wouldn't be so easy to subdue - Sakura had nearly caught one with her chakra-infused fist, but he managed to slide out of the way in time. Still, two were down, leaving two to defeat - not bad odds, especially when we had a third they didn't know about. I had carefully kept the genjutsu on the logs up when everything else disappeared, so that it would appear there weren't any reinforcements.

"Genjutsu! No matter, we'll still take you two down easily." They said, as the men ripped the senbons from their arms and threw them back at us. I tackled Sakura out of the way before they hit her - my luck there'd still be poison on them, and I didn't have time to administer an antidote.

"You're about to learn why no one messes with the Leaf, or with me." I said cooly as I helped Sakura back onto her feet. They sneered at me, and as the group made to lunge at us, the two who had been hit collapsed to their knees before slumping over. The two left - the man who was the leader and a female - looked at them in shock.

"Bunta! Minoru! What's wrong?" The woman went to them, and it appeared she was a medic nin like Sakura, for she started to look to their vitals and tried to save them. Unfortunately for her, my poison was pretty fast acting - time had only taught me how to make it even more dangerous. Even if she'd managed to save them, they'd have lost their arms - my poison was designed to collapse the blood vessels as it went, making it next to impossible to keep the limb alive. When it reached the heart, they were done for. I smiled coldly at the two survivors as the woman pronounced them dead. Before they had time to do anything past that, Neji was with us and he was attacking the man. However, they didn't make him leader for naught - the man whirled and put a blade into Neji's side before our teammate realized the enemy was moving. Sakura ignored the leader and went for the woman with her fists.

I lunged at the man who just knifed Neji, two kunai of my own in my hands. I'd grabbed two at random, and didn't much care what the poison was - if I had my way, one of them would find itself in his throat and I wouldn't _need_ poison to take him out. The man danced away as Neji's hand flew to his side. Unfortunately for the enemy, Neji'd fought with worse injuries with less skill, and though I knew he had to be hurting dreadfully, Neji followed the man to finish the job. Between the two of us, you'd think we'd have taken him down quickly, but the man lead us on a merry chase around the village, managing to slide away from our attacks at the last minute - it was enough to infuriate me. He was a great shot with those kunais of his - by the time I'd managed to snag him with a poisoned kunai he'd hit me in the shoulder and leg (what is _with_these people and hitting my old wounds?) and got Neji three more times (though it would have been two if he'd let me take one of them). I managed to slice the man with some poison, and that slowed him down so we could kill him.

Then I looked around to find our pinkette. She was finishing off the other medic nin - a well placed punch to the face crushed her nose and killed her. I'd have applauded her but Neji was losing blood pretty quickly. I turned to him as he leaned against one of the buildings and helped him slide down into a seated position as I looked over his wounds. The one in his side was pretty serious, and so was the one in his thigh, but the hit in his arm and shoulder didn't seem too bad. I left the kunai where they were for now and tugged out my emergency kit, from which I produced one of my healing potions.

"Drink." I told him firmly as I beckoned Sakura over. My wounds were pretty bad too, but I wasn't too worried about them at the moment - I wouldn't lose as much blood as Neji would, though they hurt like the dickens. He did as I said while I knelt next to him, to put pressure over the worst of his wounds. Then Sakura was kneeling next to the man, scanning over him quickly, though I didn't remove pressure until she had begun to heal. Then I turned to look around us, and saw a good deal of blood - and a lot of it wasn't the enemy's. I looked down at myself then, and saw myself oozing blood from my wounds at a pretty alarming rate. The one in my thigh hurt quite a bit, and my pants were soaked with the blood - the fact that it was just newly healed wasn't helping anything. I grabbed a strong healing potion for myself and downed it all without a second thought, before ripping the kunai out of my shoulder and beginning to heal it as best as I could. Then I turned to look at Sakura and Neji - he wasn't looking too good.

"How is he, Sakura?" I asked, removing my hand from my shoulder and stopping the flow of chakra, in case she needed help. Sakura merely shook her head slightly and kept her focus on her hands, which were healing Neji's side as quickly as she could in this setting. The knife had gone in pretty deep - nearly to the hilt - which wasn't good. Given that and the amount of blood that had splattered all over the battle field and was pooling underneath him, Sakura was in for a rough battle by herself. "What can I do to help?" I asked her as I knelt next to the man, ignoring the blood that instantly seeped into my gray pants, turning them black and sticky. I pulled out some more potions and set them next to me - two of them were the chakra restoratives, one for each of us. Besides his side, blood was oozing from two wounds in his left arm - one on the lower forearm where he'd protected me - and a third in his chest, near the collarbone, on the right.

"Check that wound in his chest." She said shortly. I nodded and leaned over him a little to reach the right side after I set the chakra restorative next to her leg.

"There's chakra restoration potion next to your leg, if you need it. Only a sip, mind. Don't take too much." I warned her, before looking to his wound. I cautiously probed it with my chakra, assessing the damage. It had hit at an awkward angle, and had ended up getting stopped not too far in by bone. I got a good grip on the blood slicked handle and tugged it quickly out of his flesh, casting it aside easily. Then my hands were putting pressure over the wound, to slow the flow of blood and throw healing chakra against the tear of flesh. Due to it being shallow, it wasn't long before the wound was healed - though it took a good bit of chakra out of me. Unlike Sakura, who healed with a small ribbon of chakra, I used a stream of my power to heal. I'd never be a medic nin with that, but it was enough to help. She was still healing his side - the blood was slowing, though.

instead of bothering the girl and breaking her concentration, I moved to healing the wound in my shoulder. At least, I began the healing - slowing the bleeding so it wouldn't cause more damage. That was when my chakra told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to give it more to work with or stop. So, I took a small swig of the potion at my leg, looking around as I did. There was nothing out of the ordinary, thank goodness. I don't think we could have taken any more death. I turned back to work on my arm, vaguely noticing that Neji was unconscious and Sakura was finishing up on his side, before turning to my own wounds once more. I finished the shoulder one as she finished his left arm - the one I had began to heal. Then she bound his other arm with bandages, telling me it wasn't as bad as all the blood was making it look. Then she healed my leg, taking a good deal of time to do so as well - it was pretty deep and at the same location as my last wound, which were both cause for concern.

Neji was still unconscious when she was finished, which we figured was from the blood loss. So, the two of us packed up what little we'd pulled out for the trap, before carrying him back to camp. Sakura went to bathe once we got there, while I watched over the camp. During that time, Lee called back in. With Neji unconcious, the leadership position fell to me.

"Hokage-sama has just sent her reply. It says she is sending reinforcements to our location. Once everything here is taken care of, they're to sweep the rest of the towns to see if there are similar traps in this area, and if so, to report through message birds that there is a problem before taking care of it." Lee reported.

"Very good. Can you head back this way, then, after sending a message confirming that we received her letter, and that we have taken care of the second wave of enemies?" I asked. There was nothing left for us but to go home.

"Yes, Maia. I'll be back after dark, though."

"As long as that's not a problem for you, we'll be waiting."

"Roger. I'll see you tonight."

Sakura returned not long after our conversation ended, and I took my leave to get myself cleaned up. My clothes of the last two days were hopeless - the blood would leave stains in the material, no matter what I did. I mean, that was what they were for, but it was still unfortunate. Neji still hadn't awoken, and ended up sleeping the rest of the night. Sakura and I divided the shifts between the two of us and Lee. I was last, and Sakura was first - she would greet Lee on his return and let him sleep for as long as she dared. As I got off relatively light, considering everything - Lee having run all day, Sakura healing two major wounds and fighting, and Neji battling blood loss - I got to take the last (and longest) shift.

We waited at the edge of the village the next day for the reinforcements to arrive. I was dozing against Neji when they arrived - two squads of four. It was a short conversation before we were all on our way - us to go home and them to look for more danger spots. Still. I'd have rather had a medical emergency and stayed away from home for a month than to be going back after only four days gone. We'd be home tomorrow, making it a total of five days. It must have been the shortest medical mission on record. I'd have shared the thought with the others if it weren't so morbidly awful.

Then, the next afternoon we were entering the gates and reporting to Hokage-sama. The travel was like a blur, but I can remember most of our report to Lady Tsunade. As Neji went further into the tale, her face paled and her hands clenched together so tightly I was afraid she was going to break bones. Then she ordered the other three to go home and rest from the ordeal, though she asked me to stay behind for a moment. The look on her face had me apprehensive, though I did as I was bid.

"Ibiki is currently out on a mission." She told me, cutting straight to the chase. I knew he went on missions, when it was important, but why did he have to go _now_ of all times? I knew she didn't send me and him out at the same times, so it must have been _very_important if she had let him go. "He left a day after you went out on your mission. No." She held up a hand to silence me. "I can't tell you why he's gone. You know this." I did, but it wouldn't have stopped me from asking. "Tomorrow, I need you to report in to the interrogation building. We have two captives there - one is a Sound shinobi of all coincidences. Hopefully you can get something from him. Until Ibiki returns..."

"I will take his place." I said with her. "Yes, Lady Hokage, I understand. I will be diligent in checking in each day. Do you know when he is due back, at least?"

"Not for at least another week, but it should take no more than three weeks to complete." She told me. I nodded. At least it wasn't a month or more, like the last time. That had been absolutely _awful_.

"Is that all, Hokage-sama?" I asked respectfully. She shook her head. "Then I will see you tomorrow with my reports from the two prisoners." I bowed and let myself out. I wasn't surprised to see Neji leaning against the wall opposite the door.

"What did she want from you?" He asked as we made our way out of the tower, waving a greeting to the secretary.

"Ibiki isn't in the village." I said, which was explanation of itself. But, with his blank look, I remembered that I carefully kept that part of my life apart from my teams. "Whenever he isn't in the village - and even when he is - I interrogate anyone that might have information useful to us. I know some techniques from Ibiki, but he's made it into an art. I just use my poison - and he uses it too when he has to. So, since he's not here, I'm on permanent assignment to the village to make sure we continue to get information."

"How long will you have to do this?" Neji asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"At least a week - probably closer to two. Unless an emergency occurs that absolutely needs me, she will keep me here and doing this awful job until he returns."

"Why did he leave? Did Tsunade-sama tell you?"

"No, she never does. He only does high-priority top-secret missions - and I don't begrudge him his time out of the village. He needs a break from the horrors he does - I'm surprised he hasn't snapped yet." We were approaching my home. "Do you want to come in?" I offered.

"Not today, Maia. Sakura told me that I needed to go get myself checked out at the hospital - the kunai the other day went pretty deep and she wants them to double check it."

"What? Why didn't you say so earlier?" I demanded.

"Because I knew you'd yell at me." He teased. "I'll be alright, don't worry about it, okay? I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?" I nodded, and he bent down to kiss me goodbye. Then, we were parting ways - him to the hospital and me to go inside and to bed.


	36. Interrogation

So, Merry (belated) Christmas to everyone! I hope you had a great holiday, ate lots of yummy food, and got what you wanted for Christmas. Tomorrow is the last day of this year, so I'll go ahead and wish you all a Happy New Years as well!

**Spyro Flavord Skittles**: Yep. That's what medic nins are there for :D Thank goodness. And yeah. It's gonna get sadder. It sucks =[. But it'll come out good in the end, I promise~! And I'm glad you'll be here~ I love faithful readers!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Six** – _Interrogation_

I woke in my house, wondering why it was so quiet. Then I remembered that I didn't pick up Ryu from Tenten's house - and seeing how Tenten hadn't been on the mission with us, she didn't send him home either. Since Tenten hadn't gone with us, and Lee and Neji were supposed to be with me he had no idea we were back. I'd just surprise him after school. With that thought in mind, I moved through the house as I got ready, reveling in the silence. I ate a quick breakfast, made up of toast and an apple. I didn't want to eat heavily before my tasks today. Then, I changed into my training outfit of long gray pants, gray kimono-like top and my tied on sleeves. Even though I wouldn't be using the senbons at practice, I strapped them on anyway. Better safe than sorry - as I had learned the hard way (twice now). On my back went all of my scrolls, and on my hip went my two kunai holsters. Pausing only momentarily to pull my sandals on, I strode out of my home and out into the open air.

The interrogation chamber was located near the Hokage Tower, which was almost completely on the opposite side of the village from my home. Though I was in no hurry to do the harsh, dirty work that was expected of me today, I did not dawdle. The first time I did that, they sent a chuunin to come and follow me in. I'd gotten the hint when they repeated it three more times - I'd be treated like a child who couldn't be trusted, or I could do my duty. So, I moved towards my destination without hesitation or trepidation. Much as I hated the duty, the sooner I got it over with, the sooner I could go train or do anything other than be in that building. If I was lucky, there wouldn't be too many prisoners to interrogate these next few weeks.

Knowing my luck, I wouldn't be lucky at all.

I reached the large, imposing building not too long after I left my home. I checked in with the ANBU who was guarding the building before entering the single door and into the ante chamber that led to a hallway, off of which a person could access five different rooms. Four of them were smaller interrogation chambers - for if we have a need to either interrogate four at a time, or if something was wrong in another room, we had plenty of other space to use. The fifth room was located on the right, between two of the interrogation chambers. This was a larger chamber, which could be used so multiple people could view or participate as the need arose. It was used for "formal" interrogations - ones that the Hokage needed to be present for, or for the few that we interrogated teammates together, to play them off of each other. It was a vicious life, the torture business.

Just outside the first door on the left were two people - a female and a male. The male was younger than me, most likely a chuunin. Some came to the Interrogation Unit out of curiosity, others because they had an actual interest in the work. There were the handful who had the skill to stand with the interrogation unit, even if they disliked the work - I was one of those. Many of those who came to the Unit for the first time didn't stick around - those who were curious were more likely to leave than those interested, of course, but the numbers were so close that it didn't matter. As a shinobi, our lives are already hard with the cold fact of needing to become killers, without adding torture to it. Every chuunin, though, was required to come view at least one torture session - so that they knew what to expect if they were ever captured. It was extra incentive to not fail at missions. It also helped get more people for the small Unit - the people were constantly coming in and out, going out of the village to do on-site interrogations if necessary.

The female was the guard for the prisoner - to ensure he wasn't assassinated and to make sure the interrogation didn't go so far as to get the prisoner killed. I nodded a greeting to the woman - we'd met before. "Hello again, Kaida." I murmured to the woman. It was an odd, unspoken rule of a sort - don't be loud in the hall. No one could know what was going on within the rooms, and noise could throw off whatever balance had been achieved within.

"Maia." She inclined her head in acknowledgment. I turned to the boy beside her.

"And who might you be?" I asked, curiously. Sometimes they were to help, sometimes they were only there to observe. I wondered which of the two it would be today.

"Minoru Ihara, at your service ma'am." He said, looking quite nervous about himself. I was pretty certain he was only here to watch. "I'm here to observe your interrogation." As I thought - those who had the stomach for the work were much more sure of themselves. I smiled wanly at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you - though I wish we were meeting under different circumstances. May I see the prisoner's file, Kaida?" I asked, and she handed me a slim folder with a single sheet of paper within it. No name, but he was of the Sound village. That made for plenty of questions as it was. He'd been caught six days ago spying on the towns at the edge of the border, which put me on alert. "Does Hokage-sama know where this man was found?" I asked the woman sharply, looking up at her.

"As far as I know, she was merely informed we had a Sound spy - I don't know if where he was located was divulged."

"Minoru." I turned to the boy. "You may be called upon at any time once you step inside the room to aid in the interrogation of the prisoner. You will not balk or fight me - we must appear unified before him. Do you understand me?" My tone was firm, and though he had paled, he nodded. "Let's get this over with then. I know he has information she needs, right away. There might be a trap laid out for our shinobi as we speak that we need to learn about." Kaida stepped aside and I entered, Kaida and Minoru following behind me as silent shadows. Kaida stood to the side of the door, while Minoru followed me uncertainly, pausing slightly at the sight that met his eyes.

The man was tied to a chair, wearing nothing but a ragged pair of pants. He showed signs of abuse already - he would be one that would have come to Ibiki or I in either case, no matter what had happened. From the looks of it, the fingers of his left hand were broken and he had been beaten severely - the bruises were just now yellowing from healing.

"All this, and you didn't even give them your name?" I asked conversationally, flapping the folder in my right hand. "What's the harm in that?" My tone was light and easy, though it would soon turn hard and cool as winter. The man merely smirked and spat at my feet. "Ah. That's how it is. Very well then. Let's see, what should I do to make you speak?" Here in the chambers, I had more freedom in my interrogation - I could use most, if not all, of the apparatus in the room. Unlike out in the field, I could be used to break someone without my poison if I wanted to. I weighed the time aspect and the risk, and found that it would be better to do this quickly. I turned to Minoru.

"I apologize, but you will be required to come to a second interrogation. This one will be over too quickly and without any proper demonstration." He looked confused, while Kaida just looked resigned to the screams. The man before me was merely cool and complacent - he didn't think he'd be broken. With ease, I pulled out a Pain kunai and strode over to him, before thrusting it harshly into his shoulder. I left it there and moved back two paces.

"We will start with your name. What is it?" The man before me actually took longer to succumb to the pain than most did - but as all did, he spoke. He was sweating bullets and his eyes were darting around, looking for escape. He didn't expect to be faced with the poison mistress of Konoha when he was captured. He admitted his name was Riki Katsu, and he was indeed from the Sound village. Through wails, moans, and cries of pain and stammered, broken sentences, he told me all I needed to know and more.

There was a second village laying in wait, two days travel to the east from Tani Kita - they hadn't been slaughtered when he was captured, but it was only a matter of time. He also unveiled a kidnap plot for two children from the Land of Tea - all of this I stored away for my report for the Hokage. When I exhausted his knowledge of both situations, plus other less important information. I gave him relief then, in the form of an antidote. He might have other information, if someone asked the right questions. I didn't have time to try to do that - I needed to get to the Hokage right away. Still, I took the time to pause outside of the chamber to speak to Minoru.

"That was not a traditional interrogation, Minoru. I hope you understand why you must return." He nodded, swallowing hard.

"What... what did you do to him, Maia-san? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Minoru asked, nervously.

"It's just Maia. Come." I gestured that he should walk with me - I had no time to dilly dally explaining, but if we walked while we talked I didn't mind. "I'm the poison expert of the village. I create and refine all sorts of poisons - the types that could kill or sedate, and even those that cause pain like the one you just witnessed. It isn't pretty, but it's quite effective. I've yet to see anyone resist that poison with success." I explained, as we made the short walk to the tower. We paused outside the doors. "You don't have to report in with me. However. If you speak to anyone other than myself, Lady Tsunade, or Kaida about what occurred within that room, you will be severely dealt with. Do you understand me, Minoru?" I asked, holding his eyes with my own.

"Yes, Maia-san." He said, bowing slightly before taking his leave. I stared after him a moment, before shaking my head and entering. I blew past the secretary and knocked on the door to the Hokage's office furiously.

"Stop that infernal racket and come in already!" Tsunade's voice called from the other side. It seemed she wasn't having too good of a day - and I was about to make it worse. I slipped inside, glancing around to ensure we were alone. "Ah, Maia." The Hokage greeted me. "What have you got to report? It must be important, for you to be in such a rush." I nodded.

"I only interrogated one of the prisoners today, but once you hear what information he gave me, you'll understand my haste." I told her. The lady's face hardened, and she gestured for me to go on. I gave her the details of the raid on the town within our borders. It would be much the same as before, only on a larger scale. Seeing how we'd already had one "medical emergency", we'd know what to expect and send more. There would be ten people there waiting to take out whatever shinobi came to defend the people there. From the lateness of the information, I couldn't tell her if the people would still be alive or not.

"I'll send everyone, except you, from the original team out, including a few other jounin." She scribbled furiously on some papers before her, probably planning who she could send from the village. Once she was done, she looked back up at me. "There's more?" I nodded, and she sighed and leaned back. "Lets hear it, then."

I described the kidnapping to her, what was expected to happen. There would be no survivors, save the two who would be stolen. As I explained, her hand clenched tighter on the brush she was holding, finally until it snapped towards the end of my explanation. This was a bad sign. This mission was to have begun a week ago - we could lose no time in this. There was a family - clan, rather - that was about to be decimated. If they were willing to go so far to get these two children, they must be very important indeed.

"Did you say Nagano? That was the family name?" She demanded, to which I nodded. "Their bloodline jutsu allows them to plant thoughts within anothers' head, to make them believe they are their own. Their jutsu is one of the most dangerous, because of the ramifications of these added thoughts. If they want these children, it's because he wants to cultivate them for their bloodline." There was no need to define who "he" was - it went without saying that we were speaking of Orochimaru. "Their bloodline isn't spoken of often, for fear that they will be used for these very reasons. Because of this, I must make this mission classified - no one must know who you went to help except for me and those on your squad, for safety of the children and - if they survive - the clan itself. As much as it pains me to do this, I am going to send you and your team - plus Shikamaru for his strategy knowledge and Ino for your medical nin - on this B ranked mission. If you cannot save the family, at least get the children from their grasp - bring them back here. You are to leave immediately, and you will lead this mission." She paused, and sighed. "We both know that a Sound assault squad will prove to be very dangerous. I wish I could supply you with chuunin and jounin, rather than your genin squad, but there is no one else available - whoever isn't dealing with these attacked towns are either out on missions or needed here. I hope you understand. Now. Go, and hurry!" I accepted the headphones and microphones required for our mission and turned on my heel to track down my teammates.

"We have a mission - we need to get going right away." I told them, bursting into the clearing. I handed out their headphones quickly. "We are to meet at the gate in exactly two hours. We're going to probably be gone for awhile, so pack accordingly. Go!" Before the word finished echoing in the clearing, I was gone. I needed to find the other two, so we could leave. Tenten was sparring with Lee when I arrived. "Tenten! I'm leaving the village, please let your mother know that Ryu will still be staying with you." I yelled from a safe distance. The two turned to look at me - Tenten with curiosity and Lee with disappointment. "Lee, I promise you'll have a mission soon as well - Tenten, I'm not as sure about you, sorry." She nodded and Lee looked excited, but I didn't stay long enough for them to give me much in the way of replies. I needed to find my other two members, plus do a few other errands.

Finding Shikamaru was the hardest part. I didn't know the man, so finding him in a large village was like finding a needle in a haystack. So, I decided to wait until after I found Ino - she was his teammate, so she'd probably know where he was. I found her in her flower shop, and while she looked mildly surprised to be going on a mission under my command, she accepted the electronic device without complaint. If she found my vague demands odd, she didn't voice those concerns. Before she darted home, she pointed me to a rooftop, where Shikamaru liked to lounge. Thankfully he was still there when I arrived, and though he complained about the mission being a drag, he accepted his gear from me and went to prepare his things.

Finally, I was allowed to return home to pack. My bag was still mostly packed from my recent mission, so I didn't have to work hard to get ready to go. I changed the dirty sets of clothes out for clean ones - why start out with dirty clothes when I could go with fresh? I made sure there was nothing on my desk that I might need - last time I'd been worried about healing, but from the looks of it there was nothing really useful left. Once I added as many rations as my bag could hold, I stepped back out of my house. I had a little over an hour to kill, and I debated how to use it. I was definitely going to go track Neji down to let him know I was leaving, but I wasn't sure if I should go tell Ryu. After all, he didn't even know I had returned. I ended up deciding to go tell him - it would be awful to miss out on another chance to see him.

First, though, I'd see Neji. I went to the compound, where he'd usually be training, but the guards told me that he wasn't within. After some questions, it was revealed that he hadn't arrived at the compound the night before. Last I had seen him, he'd been heading to the hospital, so I made my way there. I couldn't think of any reason for him to have not gone home after his visit, besides staying there. When I arrived and asked around after him, I found that he was indeed in the hospital, and was staying in room 506 currently. I rushed down the hallways and up the staircases until I found the room, but I knocked calmly as if I were in no rush. Then, I peeked my head in. There was Neji, but he was asleep. I didn't blame him - it was so dreadfully boring in this building. I slipped in and slid the door silently closed behind me before moving to his bedside quietly, not wishing to disturb him.

"Oh Neji. I wish you were awake; I hate to leave without saying goodbye." I whispered, my fingers reaching out to gently brush a few strands of hair out of his face. Before I could pull away, his hand latched onto my wrist with dangerous strength - which made me aware he wasn't completely conscious of his actions. I braced myself against his sharp pull, which was designed to throw me over him so he could move to pin me. While the action made my breath hitch from previous psychological scars, I didn't let it break my concentration.

"Neji! Neji, it's okay, it's just me!" I told him, yanking against his grip. I was lucky he hadn't deadened the nerves in my wrist - I might need my hands soon and it would do me no good to have a useless one. After a moment, he relaxed as his eyes focused.

"Maia. I'm... sorry. What're you doing here?" He asked, his voice quiet but his tone warm and sincere.

"It's okay - I suppose I shouldn't have touched you. As to why I'm here, it's because I was looking for you. Why are you still here, and not at home?"

"They wanted to make sure my intestines and stomach didn't have any cuts, so they put me to sleep and made me stay - they won't let me go until noon, so I've just been waiting. I thought you were doing interrogations until later today?" I shook my head.

"I was, but unfortunately I learned new information. You, Sakura, and Lee are going out on a new mission - probably before the day ends. I gained information of another town that might get hit." His face became grave. "But, I'm not here to tell you about that. I'm leaving as well, on a different mission. I'll be gone for a long time, probably. I just didn't want to go without telling you."

"Why did Hokage-sama send you on a different mission - you were on the original mission to discover the villages, so shouldn't you come with us?"

"The mission I'm being sent on is classified - since I learned information of sensitive nature in my interrogation, I'm to lead it. I wish I could tell you more, but I really can't." I told him, and he nodded in understanding.

"It's alright - do you know when you'll be back."

"Hopefully, if all goes well, in a month or two. If not, I could be gone anywhere from two weeks to many months. It depends on how the situation has developed." I looked out the window at the sun - I only had thirty minutes left if I wanted to make it to the gates before my team - and I really needed to get the passports before they arrived. So, I bent down and kissed Neji goodbye. After a few long, sweet moments, I pulled away. "I have to go."

"I know. Goodbye; Stay safe." I nodded.

"You too." I moved towards the door, but before I stepped out, I paused before speaking softly. "These missions... they're terribly dangerous. We might not survive."

"I know, Maia. It's a risk we swore to take, remember?"

"Yes, I know. It's just... if something happens to me..." I bit my tongue, afraid to speak.

"What? What's wrong, Maia?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just... Promise me that you'll take care of Ryu, if I die."

"Of course I will. I promise." My face lit up in a smile. Good. That was one thing I didn't have to worry about anymore.

Also... I wanted to say... I... I love you." I said it. Those three words we'd danced around not saying. Before he could respond, I turned on my heel and darted out the door.

"Maia!" I heard him call after me, but I ignored him. My heart was racing, my cheeks were on fire. I didn't know what he was going to say to me in return, and I didn't want to leave in dissapointment. Better for him to know my feelings when I left than not at all - but I didn't need him to voice anything to me. I took the halls at a near sprint - not only to get out of earshot, but because I wanted to make it to the school before I left, but I was losing time fast. Luckily, I knew the way there like the back of my hand, plus all the short cuts, and I got there with twenty minutes to spare. I marched in, flashed my headband at the woman at the desk, and went to his classroom. The ninjas of the village - especially the female ones - were allowed to access their children at school if they needed to, for times like these. I rapped on the door before opening it to a woman's call.

"I'd like to see Ryu, please. It'll just be a moment." The boy bounded happily down the stairs to give me a hug, and I pulled him out of the room and shut the door carefully.

"I thought you wouldn't be back for a long time! What happened? Why are you here?"

"The mission was a failure, so I came back yesterday, but I came home and went to sleep. I was going to surprise you this afternoon - but I got another mission. I'll be gone again... but this one is more dangerous. Do you understand?" He looked up at me, before nodding and burying his head in my stomach again. "Listen. Neji and Lee are to go on a mission, as is my whole genin team. I think Tenten might be leaving too. Behave for Tenten's mother, do your homework, and keep training." I hesitated, hugging the boy tight to me.

"What's wrong, Maia?" He asked, looking back up at me.

"It's just... this mission is going to be a hard one. If... if something happens to me, Neji promised to care for you, okay? I made sure you'll have someone that will let you stay on the shinobi path."

"But..."

"No 'buts', Ryu. I'm sorry; I wish I didn't have to go, you know that right?" He nodded. "You're like my brother, like my son - so remember that, and that I love you." I smiled at him. "I'm sure everything will be alright, but I just wanted you to hear that, okay?" He gave me a shaky smile back and I nodded. "Go on back to class. We'll see each other again, I'm sure of it." I kissed him on the forehead, and then watched him enter the classroom. Then I left for the gates.

By the time the rest of my team of six arrived, I had all of our passports and travel papers. Though they looked curious as to why we were leaving, they didn't argue when I told them to move out.


	37. Save the Children

Curse you, Firefox. I had typed a really nice little thing here, and I don't remember most of it. Okay. Let's see if I can do this again.

Here's chapter 37. I apologize, but the next two chapters will be relatively shorter in comparison to the last couple of chapters you have read. They will also be set a bit faster. I don't know why I chose to do it this way, it just felt right. I hope it doesn't step on any of your toes. Anyways. I'm almost half-way done with chapter 40 (yaay!) and it's pretty rad, so yeah. This is just looking really, really good. -very excited- I hope that covers everything I had said before.

I don't own Naruto and the characters copywritten by TV Tokyo and Masashi Kishimoto. Only Maia and my created characters belong to me.

**Spyro Flavord Skittles:**I don't even know how your name got to the end of that chapter. I honestly do not. However, I did remove it - you are no longer being advertised at the bottom of chapter 36. Sorry. I will give you this, though. You have a little bit longer of a wait - not too much sorrow in this chapter. I hope you enjoy! Also, I can totally get the WoW thing (a former WoW addict - school got in between my level 85 night elf rogue and myself) and not checking your mail. I don't do that nearly as often as I should!

**LoneWolfPack:** Thank you, LoneWolfPack, for taking the time to comment! I hope my story continues to your liking! Please let me know anything I can do to make my story better, alright?

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Seven** – _Save the Children_

"Want to explain what we're doing? We've followed you out of the village without any information, and frankly, I'd like to know what's going on." Shikamaru asked, annoyance in his voice. We had gotten about a mile away from the village, and were currently up a few trees. I paused on a branch, and everyone else stopped around me.

"I'm sorry for that. Hanabi, keep an eye out for anyone coming near. I doubt we'll be spied on, but better safe than sorry." That made everyone start with surprise, but I waited until she told me it was safe to speak. "Tsunade-sama has placed the six of us on a confidential B-ranked mission. From the information I've been given, I believe this mission is more suited to an A-rank - however, with lack of intelligence and not enough available jounins, she has placed my genin team on this and justified it as a B-ranked mission. As such, you three." I turned to my genin. "You are to take no risks - check in with Shikamaru, Ino, or myself before doing anything. During a fight - and there will be fighting, almost certainly - try to stay near one of us. This mission is going to be quite dangerous, I'm sure of it."

"Honestly, Maia, we all know the risks, seeing how we're all here. You shouldn't baby them." Ino told me, hands on her hips. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I apologize that my methods don't suit you, Ino. I'm sure Asuma didn't baby you at all." She blushed and looked away. I nodded, my point made.

"Alright, alright. Geeze, just tell us what the mission is already." Shikamaru butted in.

"Do you know of a the Nagano clan?" I asked, indirectly explaining what we were up against. Everyone but Shikamaru shook their heads. "I hadn't either, until I interrogated a Sound spy. Suffice it to say that they have a powerful bloodline jutsu that Orochimaru wants, and he's willing to destroy the whole clan to keep them from stopping him. If they succeed, they will kidnap two children who will, supposedly, have the knowledge and skill to use the jutsu. We have to stop them - either we are to save the children, or we are to defend the clan. Whichever we can manage - because they sent their assault squad a week ago."

"A _week_ago?" That was Ino.

"Yes. Now, as we move, I'll explain how we're going to do this." We moved into a diamond pattern. Ino was in the center with Hanabi, the protected position going to the medic nin and our resident Hyuuga, who would be detrimental to the success of this mission. I was on point, as the leader. Shikamaru took up the end point, watching out for the rest of the group. Nobori and Daichi took up the last two side points. I began relaying orders softly through the microphone.

"We're going to work a buddy system. Nobori, you're paired with Shikamaru; Hanabi, you're with Ino; Daichi, you're with me. Any questions so far?" No one spoke up, so I continued. "Let me explain what we're up against, then. There's going to be a Sound assault squad, with at least eight shinobi when they left Otogakure - probably more. If we run into them after they've attacked the clan, they will probably have sustained losses, but they won't be too diminished in strength. When we attack, watch out for your partner - I don't want to come away with losses. Everything clear?" A chorus of yes's filled my ears.

"Now, as to why this group of people was picked. If there weren't pressing matters elsewhere, I'd have brought Team Gai and then you two, Ino and Shikamaru. As there is a crisis elsewhere, we have a genin team."

"There's a crisis? What's going on?" Ino, once more - but this time her voice was joined by others.

"The Sound is attacking us as well - they've already decimated at least one town, and we think there's a second out there waiting for us to find it. I, along with Sakura, Lee, and Neji, were the team that found the first massacre. We were lucky that we all survived." I let that sink in before continuing.

"As I was saying, we were given a genin team. And, as I said before, this mission should really be an A-ranked, which means we're in a very dangerous situation right now. Ino, you're our medical ninja."

"Yes, Maia." She'd almost lost all the sarcasm, but not quite.

"Shikamaru. You led a genin squad against a Sound assault team, and were successful in bringing everyone back alive. While I will be leading this team, I will be relying on you to help me create a strategy to do the same thing here. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I have faith in your skills."

"I understand. I'll have a basic attack plan ready when we make camp."

"Good. Hanabi, you're our eyes. Watch out for any groups that have more than four people in them, and especially look out for groups with children in them. Report anything suspicious."

"Yes, Maia-sensei."

"Nobori, Daichi. I don't have anything special for you two; there isn't enough jobs to go around. Watch and be alert for any sudden orders or changes in movement."

"Yes, Maia-sensei." They chorused. I smiled, though no one behind me could see it. See, Ino? I have a loyal squad, no matter my coddling at times. We understood each other perfectly.

There wasn't any dangerous activity in the woods around us, which wasn't unexpected, for the first three nights. I set the night watch up so that it could be taken up by three sets of two people after Shikamaru laid out a basic plan that first night, and we'd been traveling quietly and safely since. He gathered us up again that third night to discuss the plan again, because it wouldn't be long before we met up with the enemy in the worst case scenario.

"Okay, Nobori, Maia, and I will strike first. I'll use my Shadow Possession jutsu and they'll pick off the enemy with their poisons. Then Hanabi and Ino, you two will swoop in and grab the kids and bring them back to Maia and Daichi, who will defend them through the rest of the attack. Then, Hanabi, you'll switch to offensively fighting whoever is still left alive with Nobori and I. Ino, you'll hang back to heal whoever gets injured." On that note, I pulled out my first scroll - the one that held my poisons and antidotes - and the second - which held my healing potions - to draw out useful hypodermics. Two of each poison's antidotes, with corresponding thread tied around them, went into Ino's hands, along with a chakra restorative and three healing potions. Just because she was annoying earlier in the mission didn't mean I'd let everyone else possibly suffer because of it.

"Once all current threats are eliminated, Maia, Daichi, Hanabi, Ino, and the children will group up and head north-east, back towards the Land of Fire, but not directly towards the village to possibly keep them off of our trail. Nobori and I will set a false trail back towards the clan's house, to further throw them off. The next night we'll group up and head for home from there. Any questions?" All of us shook our heads. While we knew it wouldn't be as easy as all that, it was good to have a plan laid out. It just softened the chaotic blow when everything went insane.

"I do want one survivor, to question. We need to know if anything else like this is going on, or any other plans. If possible, spare the one who looks to be the captain of the mission." My students blanched, but Shikamaru and Ino looked confused, but not disturbed. They understood the reality of our world.

"I thought I'd heard you wrong before, when you'd said you'd interrogated someone. You're really part of the Interrogation Unit?" Shikamaru asked.

"Unfortunately, I am, and I know all the terrible tricks of the trade." Shikamaru whistled in appreciation of what I did. I cleared my throat self consciously.

"If thats all, I'll hand out camp assignments." I looked around for a moment, making sure everyone was clear of the plan. "Daichi, you go gather wood and start a fire. Nobori, find a clean river and fill our cooking pot. Hanabi, Shikamaru - you two scout the perimeter and make sure all is well. Ino, you and I will go over the hypodermics I just handed you." Everyone split up to do as I ordered them. I went over all the liquids in careful detail, ensuring she knew exactly what everything was. After drilling her in the antidotes and potions, I let her go for dinner. Daichi and I had first watch tonight, so I set up a spot in the camp that I could survey the entire clearing easily while dinner was being served. After eating quickly, the other four turned in, leaving the night to Daichi and I.

It was two days later, early in the afternoon, when we finally found our targets. There were ten of them, not including the children, which was more than we had counted on. Not that it mattered as much - our plan remained the same. All we had to do was stay undetected and find a place to attack them. We couldn't surprise them nearly as easily in the Land of Fire - they were from Orochimaru, who knew our land well - so we had to do it soon. I sent everyone but myself and Daichi to scout for a good location to take them at - Daichi and I would follow discreetly and make sure we didn't lose them.

Predictably, it was Shikamaru who found a spot for us. The four of them moved into positon while Daichi and I trailed them to our chosen spot. It was a good distance away, so it took time to get there, but they arrived there without fail or delay after an hour or so of running.

While Shikamaru lauched the first phase of our attack plan, Daichi and I moved into our own positions. I scrambled up a tree that gave me a good view of the ground below us, and of our enemies. When I was high enough, I tugged out my kunais and waited for Shikamaru to launch the second stage of the plan. I was holding four deadly kunai - I didn't want this fight to last long, and I didn't want any but that one survivor.

A murmured command from Shikamaru had me carefully launching my kunai into the clearing with rapid precision. I left the ones holding the children alone, as well as the one who seemed to be the leader. Four slumped forward in death - mine. Nobori probably didn't feel comfortable with killing, and had used a different poison. I threw one more kunai into those standing, and then initiated the third part of our plan - the actual rescue. It required us to get up close and personal with the captors.

"How much longer can you hold them, Shika?" I heard Ino ask over the microphone.

"Not much longer - hurry up, Maia!" Unfortunately, as the two of us touched down, the jutsu released the five surviving enemy. I saw one fall over in sleep, but the rest of Nobori's kunai were littered within the bodies of the ones I had killed. Damn, we'd picked the same targets. How unfortunate for us. I released a senbon and threw it into the leg of one carrying a little girl. Then, I swept down and plucked her from his arms as his leg buckled. Then, I was knocked off my feet by one of the enemy; I tucked my body around the girl to keep her from harm, as she shrieked and cried in fear. Once I hit the ground, I rolled up onto my feet, before leaping towards the edge of the clearing.

"Daichi, south side of the clearing, with me, now!" I ordered, landing and placing the girl on the ground against the tree. "Now, sweetheart, you need to stay right here so you don't get hurt. We're the good guys, here to protect you, okay?" I told her in my best soothing voice. Then Daichi landed next to me with the other kid, the boy.

"Did you run into any problems?" I asked, looking into the fray.

"Something's happened. Ino's looking after Nobori." I'd have demanded more information, but just then a Sound shinobi came at us. I slung Daichi and his charge behind me and threw two senbons at the man. I missed, but they thudded harmlessly into a tree - thankfully. I dodged a punch and leaped over a sweep, before making the seals for Leaf Blades. As they swarmed him, I lunged at him with a kunai, only to be stopped by Shikamaru's shadow.

"Maia, that's the captain!" I dissapated what I could of my attacking jutsu, and as soon as I was released from the shadows I dropped the kunai to the ground, only to pull out another coated with paralysis, which I shoved into his arm at the first chance. "That's the last of them, Maia."

"Good. How's Nobori?" I asked, turning to pull the girl back into my arms. She was such a small little thing - there was no way she'd know the secrets of the clan. I wondered what they were thinking, grabbing this little one.

"Maia... it's looking really bad. He's not reacting to anything - I mean, he's healing, but he's not moving or talking." That was Ino, and her voice was filled with nothing but fear and frustration. I rushed over to the two, thrusting the child into Shikamaru's arms as I passed him. What I saw made me stop short. He was laying in a pool of his own blood next to Ino, who had her hands over the wound in his stomach. It wasn't the wound that bothered me - I'd seen, and had, worse. It was the kunai in his stomach - it was wrapped with dark blue linen, my marker for a paralysis; my own weapon had been used against my teammate.

"Did you administer the antidote?" I asked, placing my hands over hers to augment her chakra flow. Thankfully they hadn't picked up a different kunai of mine - there were so many in the battle field that were coated with deadly poison.

"I haven't had time for that yet; I've been trying to stop the bleeding!" She growled at me.

"Well then, that's why he's not responding, Ino. He's paralyzed." I looked down at the boy and pulled out an antidote to the paralysis, injecting it into his shoulder.

"Come on, now, you're going to be fine." I muttered, letting Ino take what she needed of my chakra.

"Ugh. Why do you get the fun poisons?" He demanded as soon as he could make his tongue work. I couldn't help it, I laughed.

"Because I have to baby you - didn't you listen to Ino before?"

"Cheap answer, and you know it."

"I'll think of something better next time, I promise."

"If there's a next time, I'm gonna kill you sensei." I smiled as I rose to my feet.

"Okay. Daichi, Shikamaru - Take the children far away from here and make camp. Ino, I want Nobori ready to travel as soon as possible. Hanabi, go with Shikamaru and Daichi and make sure no one sneaks up on them. Understood?"

"What are you going to do?" Ino asked from her place next to Nobori.

"I have some questions for that guy over there." She blanched. "I'd move him, but I don't want him to break free from my paralysis and jump me."

"Well, I haven't gotten to witness an interrogation. I guess it'll be educational."

"You obviously have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Ino. My form of interrogation uses poison, something the others usually don't resort to."

While the others left the clearing I turned to her.

"You must adhere to the rules all chuunins must follow when observing, except one since you're healing our boy there. Here's the rules you have to follow. You may not speak of what you hear in this interrogation to anyone besides myself, Nobori, Hokage-sama, and anyone else she or I choose to give the information to. Once we begin, you may not leave until the interrogation is over. Do you understand these terms as I have explained them?"

"Yes, Maia."

"Usually you'd have one more rule, which is if I require assistance at any time, you are obligated to help me. However, you're busy and I won't risk Nobori for your aid. Now. You understand that you are not permitted to leave until I allow you, no matter how awful it gets?"

"Yes, Maia."

"Good. Now, turn off your microphone and Nobori's. No one but the three of us are allowed to hear what happens in this clearing. Leave your earpiece on, just in case." I switched off my microphone and turned to the captive. "This isn't going to be pretty, since we're in a clearing and not an interrogation chamber."

I cleared his system of the paralysis poison I had injected into him earlier. Then I positioned him on his back with his legs bound together. I'd hate to lose him after going to so much trouble to get him, but I needed his arms free to try to break him. It was a risk, leaving them unbound, but I'd have to take it. Besides, I had Ino to help me if he really managed to get free. As I worked, I counted slowly to one hundred. I knew, from experimentation and past doses, that after one hundred seconds the antidote would have fully removed the poison from their system. So, he wouldn't be able to get the jump on me because I knew exactly when he'd be able to move. The instant I hit one hundred, I stepped on his hand with my right foot and put my left on his chest.

"Don't even think about moving. What's your name?" Of course, I didn't get an answer. I did, however, get a suddenly writhing and flailing man under my foot. My left foot moved up to his throat and gently pressed, casually cutting off his air. He stopped as quickly as he started, and I released the pressure enough for him to breathe.

"What's your name?" Still silence, but at least he didn't writhe. "You have two options here. Tell us what you know now, or tell us after you suffer the worst I can offer. It's your choice, but you _will_tell us everything I want to know." He didn't speak. "Very well. Remember you chose this." Then I dug my heel visciously into his palm and I felt the fragile bones within shatter. He cried out in pain, but the noise was sharply cut off as he bit down on his lip.

"Still nothing? I can break other parts of your body if you'd like." When he kept quiet, I forced him onto his back. It wasn't easy or simple - he fought the whole way, but I somehow managed.

"What are you going to do?" Ino asked warily, peering at me from her spot next to Nobori.

"You'll see, Ino. Try to stay quiet, please." Looking disgruntled, she continued healing with her mouth shut. I levered the man's right arm up and stepped onto the shoulder blade. "I will break your shoulder joint if you do not give me your name. Come on, it's just a small thing - nothing very important."

"Chikafusa. My name - it's Chikafusa."

"See, was that so bad? Now, Chikafusa, tell me. Why did you capture such a young girl and a pre-teen boy?" He hesitated, and I pushed on his arm again, but he didn't tell me. So, I had no choice but to press until there was a shuddering crack, then a pop, and he screamed again - and this time he didn't cut it off. Still, he didn't speak, didn't tell me what I wanted to know. Nothing else I did worked - cutting off his air, breaking his leg; nothing. I had to resort to my poison.

"It will be over soon." I told Ino over my shoulder, once I'd stabbed the kunai into his shoulder. I heard her murmuring to Nobori, probably asking about what I had just done. He responded just as quietly, and then there was no sound from them.

"Now. Answer my question. Why did you kidnap those children?" He took some time, but finally he broke, and through weezes, screams, and moans, I got what I wanted.

"Orders. O-Orochi-maru. He or-ordered us."

"Yes, yes. You're a Sound assault squad, I knew he ordered you. Why such a young girl and an older boy. Why not two older children?"

"S-She is-is the o-only mem-member of the-the-the head fam-family lef-left. Had to." And, since she was a girl of a head family, her name would carry over any male she married. Her children would create the new Nagano clan, by all rights. Orochimaru could create the clan again, under his thumb.

"And the boy?"

"He-He knows. Knows... jutsu." And if he knew it, he could teach it to any offspring and the girl.

"Are there more attacks like this occurring? Is he killing off more clans for their jutsus?"

"I don't... I don't know." Of course not. He'd only be told what he needed and no more.

"Very well. You have been very helpful to me, and I thank you for that." I slipped a senbon down between my fingers. "I hope you find peace." I threw it into his throat - he was dead soon after. Then I turned to Ino, who was tremblimg and staring at the body from her spot next to my genin. It was clear she was done - her shaking hands were in her lap and he wasn't bleeding.

"Ino. Ino!" She turned to look at me. "It's done. You may go to camp, now. Do not tell anyone what you heard." She needed no more incentive. In a flash, she was out of the clearing and asking for directions to camp. I listened to Hanabi guide her to their camp. I briefly butted in to ask Shikamaru to transfer to channel 2 - we were currently in 3, but I needed to talk to him.

"What is it, Maia?"

"Do you think the Nagano kept scrolls and records of their techniques and history?"

"Probably. If they were like any other clan, I'd say most definitely."

"Do you think the assault squad left them behind? Should we risk going to get them? They might prove to be invaluable." There was a long pause while Shikamaru deliberated the action. This was why I was glad he came along - he was better at weighing these things than I was.

"It's worth looking into. It would take us at least a week or two, probably closer to two. Then we'd have to get back home, before Orochimaru sends out a new squad when he realizes his first failed."

"I think it's worth the risk, if you agree."

"You're the boss, Maia."

"Fine. We're going after those scrolls, starting tomorrow. I'll ask the boy if they even left the clan home intact. Take care of Ino - she should get there soon, and she'll need a friend."

"Such a drag. Alright, alright, I'll do it."

"Thanks. I'll be there soon. Let's flip back." We transferred channels, and I gently scooped up my genin. He was too weak and tired to make it back by himself, and we both knew it. With minimal fuss, we were on our way in minutes.

"Hanabi, bring us in."


	38. Shreds of a Past Life

Hello my dears! It is my latest update! I don't have much for here this time, which is weird.

Another thing that is weird, I didn't get any reviews. D: I've gotten reviews for every other chapter (even some weird ones/flames), so it's kind of odd. It's cool. I still love you guys. 3

Enjoy! I do not own any of the Naruto characters.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Eight** – _Shreds of a Past Life_

When I arrived in camp, I glanced around to get my bearings.

Ino was sitting next to Shikamaru, and they were talking quietly with their mics off; Hanabi - now that she had finished leading me here - and Daichi were the same, on the opposite side of the clearing. In the middle, by the campfire and the pot of what could only be our dinner, were the two children we'd saved. Even appearing to be distracted, I could tell the team was still watching the two. I set Nobori near my other two genin and then walked over to kneel before them. The girl cringed away into the side of the boy, who put a protective arm before her. Interesting.

"Hi. My name is Maia Haru, a kunoichi from Konoha in the Land of Fire. What are your names?" I asked, my voice gentle and calm.

"My name is Tetsuya Nagano. This is Lady Kiyoko Nagano. She is the only daughter of Ayaki Nagano and his wife Ayame Nagano, the head of our clan. Since they are... gone... she is now the head of the clan." That explained why they had a five year old in their possession. If they held one of the children of the head family, they could repopulate the clan under Orochimaru's thumb. Even if she was a girl, she would carry the name. And, if they were the last of the clan, it would make him her bodyguard and caretaker. At least, if they were anything like what I'd learned of other clans.

"I did not realize I was in such prestigious company. My lady." I bowed my head to the girl, who just stared at me with fear. "We are going to escort and protect you to our village, to defend you against further attacks by Orochimaru and his men." I explained. "We need to know, however, if they left your clan home intact, or if they burned it. Do you know?"

"They left it standing, probably to go back to steal from it. Why? Do you want to steal from our home too?" Tetsuya asked, becoming overly defensive. I held up my hands in a placating way.

"I merely want to salvage your clan documents and secrets, for you and Lady Kiyoko. You'll need them for when you begin to build your clan again. Artifacts, scrolls - anything that's left behind will fall into your enemy's hands. I promise that anything we remove from your clan's home we will return to the two of you." That calmed him a bit. "We will begin our travels tomorrow, so I suggest after you eat you go to bed. It will be a long day tomorrow." The boy nodded and I rose with a stretch to check dinner.

It took a week and a half to travel back to their clan home. I carried the little girl most of the way - Tetsuya wanted to be the one carrying her, but I adamantly refused. He could carry himself if he'd liked, but I couldn't risk him running off with the girl. Not that we wouldn't find them - that was a given. It would just be a pain, and we didn't need the delay right now. Finally, so we could get moving, I told him he could run next to me to be by her, which placated him for the moment. We had a similar argument every morning, but I each day I ran with her in my arms and Tetsuya at my side. Our conversations - they weren't much in the way of arguments by the third day - became half hearted at best, and usually ended up turning to other topics. Kiyoko began to relax and trust the rest of us as Tetsuya calmed down and stopped getting overly defensive, which was a great plus. Having a little girl stare at you with fear and apprehension was not the greatest way to travel, needless to say.

There wasn't any problems that arose in our travels - no enemies to kill, no wounds to tend, nothing. It was kind of anti-climatic, but I wasn't going to complain - defending two children from the enemy wasn't the easiest thing in the world (and I would know; I've done it enough times to practically be an expert at it). When we arrived at the outskirts of the compound's walls, I whistled at the size of the hole in the protective wall.

"Shikamaru, Hanabi - go scan the area. I want to know if there's anything dangerous in there before we bring the children any closer." I ordered. The two darted past me - Shikamaru because he'd be level headed and in control, and Hanabi because she could see what the rest of us would be unable to.

"There's no sign of any enemies, but, Maia... you should see this." I left Kiyoko in Ino's arms and made for the wall - I was there in short time, landing next to the two that had appeared as I moved.

"What's wrong?" Looking to them for answers.

"Nothing's 'wrong' per se. Just... look." Shikamaru said, gesturing with one arm. I looked out at the clan's miniature city, ready to see the carnage of a massacre before me. Instead, while I did see blood stains, there were no bodies to be seen.

"Where are the bodies?" I whispered, more in shock than anything. I knew that the Sound wouldn't have taken the time to bury them, so what had happened to them?

"We found a grave yard on the far side of the compound - they looked recent. I think the villagers found them and cared for their bodies." Shikamaru told me, pointing in the direction of the grave yard.

"That's probably what happened. However. I don't want to take any chances. We'll bring the children with us, but they don't go anywhere alone, and they don't enter any buildings or rooms first. Does everyone understand?" I asked into my mic. I was answered with affirmatives. "Good. Then get up here you three, and let's get going."

We entered the compound warily, as if there were booby traps everywhere. Hanabi's eyes wouldn't be able to see that without something definitive to look for. I had Tetsuya guide us to the places most likely to hold their secrets - after all, he was only eleven. Why should he knew where their scrolls and artifacts were protected? Three false trails led us to a jackpot - the fourth location. It was a small room towards the back of the main house; we'd almost passed by it all together when Daichi noticed there was something off about the floor. Further inspection revealed a trap door, which was sealed off. I sighed.

"Give me a few minutes to see if I can't break this seal open." I told the others, kneeling down to get a better look at the writing. After a few long moments, I turned to the others. "Ino, bring Kiyoko over here, would you?" The woman came over, but before I accepted the girl I slipped my hand into her kunai holster, grabbing a clean blade. I set it on the floor before me before accepting the child. "Now, Kiyoko. This seal requires the blood of a head family member to open. So I need to make a little cut on you, okay?" I asked, leaving the weapon on the floor as I talked gently to her. I heard Tetsuya make a noise of dissent, but I heard him swiftly silenced.

The girl stared at me, before offering her hand gravely. I smiled at her before raising the blade and cutting her forefinger. I didn't need a lot of her blood - I just needed to trace the seal. "Now, I'm going to take your hand and guide it, okay?" She nodded. I guided the hand, bloody finger pressed to the wood, along the edges of the seal, until it was fully traced. A moment later, it shimmered for a moment before it disappeared, leaving nothing behind - not even the blood. Then I healed the little girls finger. "There. All better." I lifted her into my arms as I rose, before tugging the door open.

It led to a small vault, but the items within would be priceless to these children. I sent Ino off to find me paper, a brush, and some ink - I'd be sealing away all of these into a scroll - or multiple scrolls - until it was safer. While she was searching, I turned to Shikamaru.

"Lend me one of your kunai, please." I asked him calmly, holding out one hand. Quizzically, he passed me one, and then I turned to Tetsuya. "Now. When Ino returns, I'm going to create a sealing jutsu that will store your treasures. However, since these are clan secrets, I'm not going to use a basic seal - I'm going to use a blood seal. It's actually going to be a dual blood seal, since I'm going to use the blood of two different people to do this - mine, and yours. Mine, because I'm the one who is creating the seal, and yours because you're a member of the clan. Does this make sense?" I asked, holding the kunai in a non threatening way. He stared at the blade, nodding after a long moment. "Good. This seal prevents the scroll from being opened without the two of us together - without both us giving some blood, the seal will not open."

Just then, Ino appeared in the vault again with all of my requested materials. "Alright, let's get this started. How about I take the scrolls first, once I've gotten the seal created?" I asked, though it really was an order phrased as a question. Everyone except for the two children went into action, moving what was needed into an ordered stack of scrolls before me. While they did that, I painted the seal onto the paper with the brush. Once it was ready to accept the scrolls, I began to carefully slide each one in. I managed to fit all of them within - the artifacts would go into a second scroll. As I began preparations to seal them away, I turned to Tetsuya.

"I need your blood. Come." I cut his thumb, and as the wound wept, I did the same to myself. "Alright, on three, press your thumb here. One, two, three!" Together we pushed our thumbs into the center of the seal, finishing and sealing it shut. It wouldn't open without the two of us now. I made quick work of the few artifacts within the vault, before sealing it the same way. Then, the two scrolls were added to my emergency scrolls, for safety purposes. Then we went back upstairs and set everything back to the way it was, with the exception of the seal.

"Which way to your room, Kiyoko?" I asked. Since we were here, we might as well let them gather a few personal effects. It would be cruel to deny them that chance. Through insistent pointing and cries of "No, that way!" we reached the girl's room.

"Hanabi and Ino, you two go find backpacks for these two. Shikamaru, Nobori, take Tetsuya and help him select things to take back to Konoha with us." A chorus of yes's answered me and the room rapidly cleared of people. "Alright, Kiyoko, let's get some clothes and toys, okay?" She nodded emphatically, to which I smiled. Leading me to her closet, she pointed at the items she wanted. Pretty cotton dresses light enough to be worn in summer came down in a variety of colors, followed by stronger woolen ones. There were very few silk ones - then again, this _was a_ five year old. None the less, I made sure to grab all of them for her, to note the designs for later. I'd have Tetsuya lead one of the others to Kiyoko's parent's rooms and take down a few of the dress kimonos for later references. I set Daichi to folding each item I handed him, and soon we had a nice, condensed pile of clothing for the girl. Add a fluffly bunny, a less fluffy - but well loved - bear, some photos of her family and friends from the clan, shoes and undergarments, and we were ready to go. Hanabi returned to Daichi and I with a pack for the girl about halfway through our endeavor, and with a little pushing and patience we got everything but the bear into the bag - which was okay, seeing how she was clinging to it as if her life depended on it.

The three of us exited the room and headed to find the others, only to meet up about halfway to our destination. A quick stop in Kiyoko's parents room had me carefully placing the formal attire in my own pack, before we were ready to get camp set. While the compound was suitably equipped to our needs, we all agreed that staying there would just be too awful and creepy for the children. The next morning would see us heading home.


	39. Cost of Success

So, school is in full swing and I have not been able to finish Chapter 40 as quickly as I would like, so it's not done yet. Hopefully by next Friday (my normal update day) it will be finished. If it is not, I will post it as quickly as I have it done. As always, I do not own Naruto, only my original characters.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**– _Cost of Success_

Looking back, we shouldn't have been so foolish. We should have known better, should have been more alert. If we had, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe if I'd made a better call, did something different, this tragedy wouldn't be sitting before me, staring at me accusingly. If we had taken care, if we had been smarter, there might be one less body. Maybe there would have been just one less death. But, it's my fault. I'm the captain, the leader - I made the call that made this happen. But what's worse, is that it was my own weapon that would be my undoing.

It was quiet the first week and a half back towards Konoha. Aside from the occasional wild animal running across our path, there was nothing really dangerous that we came across. The eight of us chatted quietly at night, bonding and making friends. The camaraderie put the two refugees at ease, helping them to relax and open up more. Kiyoko really was quite a shy little girl, but with Tetsuya there to help her she began to open up more to us, her protectors. She had the sweetest disposition, ready to give a smile and a flower to anyone. But, if you managed to offend her, my oh my her temper was great. Crossed arms, pouting face with a glower, and such an offended air about her that it was almost comical. It was all we could do not to smile.

Tetsuya was very outspoken and defensive of anything that had to do with the clan, Kiyoko in particular. It seemed their clan was very big on tradition - then again, when you weren't allowed to fight except to defend your home or kill your dinner, why not be big on tradition? Their bloodline jutsu was formidable enough to let them do just about however they liked - if they wanted to stress the importance of knitting, I don't think anyone would have stopped them. He was always hovering by the little girl, making sure she had enough to eat and a comfortable place to sleep. He would make a good father one day.

When we traveled, it was usually with me, Hanabi, and the two children in the center, with the rest forming a diamond around us. Shikamaru and Ino generally took the point and rear guard positions and Nobori and Daichi the flanks. It was very routine, and quite boring.

Though we had been on alert for danger before, now we were hyper aware. In this time, the assault squad should have definitely gotten back to Orochimaru with the children. As such, he would probably send more people after them - after all, he wouldn't go to such lengths just to let them go. Hopefully they wouldn't realize we had taken them to Konoha for awhile - if ever. Realistically, I understood that they'd find the kids sooner or later - I just hoped for later. Much later, once we taught them to protect themselves.

So, we should have noticed much sooner the signs of the enemy. Hanabi had released the Byakugan, not wanting to strain her chakra stores. She was due to start using it again soon - she'd scan a few miles ahead and then, once we reached a set mark, she'd scan again, and so on. Unfortunately, we never reached the set mark.

Instead, we waltzed straight into a trap.

I was carrying Kiyoko on in the center and Tetsuya was a step behind me to my right, with Hanabi a step to the left. Shikamaru was on point, Daichi was on right flank, Nobori was on left flank, and Ino was covering the rear. Things were going smoothly until a kunai cut through the air. I turned to the side and took it in my shoulder, instead of letting it take me in throat like they wanted it to.

"Get down!" I cried into the microphone, dropping to a lower level of the tree branches and positioning myself to be better defended. "Hanabi, how many are there?"

"Twelve! There's twelve enemy shinobi!" She said over the microphone, though she had pulled Tetsuya down to my side and was helping me protect the two. If we weren't in such a predicament, I'd be suitably awed at the number sent. That was three squads - this was _very_ important to Orochimaru. Without surprise on our side, this was going to get very dangerous very quickly. I quickly deposited Kiyoko on the ground behind me, pressing her against the tree with Tetsuya. While I did this, Daichi joined Hanabi at my side. I had to think quickly, else we were going to go down quickly.

"Ino and Hanabi, defend the children. You're our best bet at keeping them safe. Shikamaru, try to trap as many as you can - Nobori, you back him up and kill however many you can. I'll attack them, Daichi you defend me." I spouted out, my thoughts flying. No arguments were voiced - Ino was with the rest of us quickly, and I relinquished my spot before Kiyoko to her. As the enemy made itself known, I saw some stopping in their tracks due to Shikamaru. I knelt before Ino and Hanabi before forming handseals.

"Ensnaring Roots!" I pressed my hands into the ground to finish the illusion. I specialized more potently with earth jutsus, though my second strongest element-type was water. Thus, even my genjutsus looked as if they were real earth jutsus instead of tricks of the mind. This one in particular had the plant life around the enemy seemingly take a mind of its own, growing to trip them by trapping their feet. Once they fell over, the roots would trap the hands and rest of the body.

My strength in genjutsu had grown over the years, so I could hold this longer than I could as a genin, though even I was not infallible. "Nobori, Daichi, take out my targets as well when you are able." I ordered through my mic as my jutsu took down three of the enemy in my sight. Then, a searing pain in my leg had me gasping, the jutsu broken. A shuriken was embedded in my upper thigh, blood welling up in huge drops and rolling down my leg. The three were up on their feet and after me again, this time with a vengeance. I rose with a wince and released two senbons into my hands, barely taking the time to aim before throwing. One found a home in a shoulder, the other struck a tree. Though I had struck one, he still got within attacking range before he fell over. The other two I managed to fell before they got too close, both with kunai covered in my deadly poison.

I turned my back to the dead men to see where I was needed. Ino and Hanabi were fending off two attackers; calling to Daichi, I rushed to their aid as a third tried to swipe one of our charges. He joined in moments later, and between the four of us we ended the lives of two of them - the third disappeared into the trees.

I was shoved aside as a kunai cut through the air, which had me turning to see what had happened, but I was not quick enough. Daichi cried out in pain, and I whipped myself around to look at him. There wasn't anyone there, but a kunai was embedded in his back shoulder blade. What I saw next nearly stopped my heart. Black yarn was wrapped around the weapon - it was my kunai, with my deadly poison on it. One of the enemy realized what it marked and used it on my team mate. Not that it was hard - a strangely marked kunai embedded in the arm of someone shouldn't kill them, unless there was something special about it.

"Ino! Get the deadly poison antidote out while I try to slow down the effects of my weapon. Quickly!" She fumbled for her backpack while my hands pulled the boy down and yanked out the kunai. Blood flow would help a little bit, and I needed all the help I could get. However, the flow of blood started to slow as the blood vessels collapsed in the aftermath of my poison. I went after the poison and, using my personal knowledge of the toxin, tried to countermand it - to no avail. However, after what seemed to be eons, Ino had the antidote out.

"Inject that as close to his heart as you can." I ordered as she tore the cap off. Once the fluid was in his veins, Ino put her hands on the boy and started to try and stop the effects as well.

"Look out!" Hanabi's voice had me whirling, the kunai that had been in his back coming to my hand almost like magic. I used this to ward off the enemy kunoichi long enough to get to my feet. As I released senbons into my hands, I dropped the kunai, which probably didn't have any poison left. Feinting to her left, I threw my senbons at her to the right and straight on. I got lucky and one nicked her - I smirked coldly at the thought. Still, such a light tap would make it longer until her death, and she'd be a problem until she died. I'd have to do something about that. She looked down at her arm, horrified - she'd figured out the secret to my attacks and was not liking the results one bit.

"One way or another, you're going to die here." I told her coolly. "Whether you die slowly or quickly is up to you." She grimaced and lunged at me. Slowly it was - though moving like that would speed the process up. She closed the distance between us, though her nerves were getting in the way - she knew that she was dying by the second. Her left arm - where the poison had struck - was moving jerkily as she lost the use of it. As she gave it a look of horror, I tripped her and punched her straight in the face, breaking the nose and killing her as the cartilage shot into her brain. I looked around for more enemies as I backed up to the children. Looking back at them, my heart broke - I could tell that the boy was dead.

"Maia, he's-"

"I know. Defend the children. We'll deal with it later." I hardened my heart to the loss of my boy and turned my back on his body. There were still plenty of enemies to take care of. "Shikamaru, how many of yours are dead?" I asked, trying to get a good count. We'd taken out three here.

"We have five dead here." He reported after a short pause. So, we had eight down - that left us with four.

"Hanabi?" I asked, distracting her from the body of her comrade before her. We needed everyone with their heads in the game - that was why I didn't let her announce his death; Nobori and Shikamaru didn't know yet, they had yet to hear - I wanted to keep them in the dark until the end.

"They're up in the trees." She threw four kunai up into the leaves - one for each of them. Two men and two women darted into view - one of each gender was trapped pretty quickly by Shikamaru, who finished them off easily with his Kubi Shibari no Jutsu - that is, Shadow Neck Bind no Jutsu. I engaged the other male, using my poisons to get the upper hand and slaying him easily. The final we had to chase down, since he'd thought to run for it. Thankfully, Hanabi had seen and cut him off before he got too far, and with the help of Ino and Nobori, she took him down.

Meanwhile, I had returned to the two children and Daichi's corpse. Tetsuya was holding Kiyoko, with her face pressed to his chest to keep her from seeing. I moved over to the bloody body of my teammate, and carefully closed off his wounds so that the blood would stop oozing from his body. While I was doing that, Shikamaru walked over to me.

"Is he okay?" He didn't realize yet what had happened. I shook my head and looked up from my task, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"No. He's gone." His eyes widened and his step faltered.

"Maia, that- I mean-" He sighed. "I'm sorry for your loss." I nodded.

"Thank you." I paused, my healing done. "You're lucky, you know." I whispered.

"Lucky?"

"We all survived, during that dangerous mission as genin. We were badly injured, but we all made it. I wish there was something I could have done." I sighed, and we sat there in an awkward silence for a moment before I broke it. "Help me clean him up." With his aid, I changed his clothes to something cleaner, so that I wouldn't have to carry a bloody body home. Thank goodness we only had a few days left. We could do it; I could do it. Only a few days, and then I would have to bury my boy. By the time we finished changing his clothes, the other three had returned.

"What's wrong with Daichi?" Nobori asked. I sighed and looked up at my team. Hanabi was leaning against Ino, crying herself. Shikamaru was standing awkwardly next to Nobori, waiting for me to say it, while Ino just looked depressed. I sighed.

"Daichi is dead. The enemy used one of my own kunai against him, and unfortunately, it had my deadliest poison on it. He... he had no chance of survival. We tried, but it was a losing battle. I'm sorry." I looked at Ino when I apologized - she was probably taking his death more personally, since she was the medic nin. "We don't have time to grieve now. We have to move, we have to get home. Ino, take Kiyoko. I'll carry Daichi. Let's go, while we have daylight."

So, our solemn group moved out with our grisly burden - I couldn't wait to get home.


	40. Cousins

I'm so sorry for not being around these last couple of months. I honestly, in everything that happened, forgot about the story. For those of you who didn't see my update in the profile, let me give you a run down. I was in a car accident shortly after posting my hiatus. Nothing major, but I had whiplash and I was sent to Oklahoma four days later - where I stayed a week and learned more stage stuff. Then I came home to work some more and finish my exams. One of my birds passed away in late May, and I spent most of that month (as well as a lot of money) trying to nurse her back to health, to no avail. I have been studying martial arts in my time away, and I am testing for my Green belt this Friday (6/29/12) and I have currently received a White belt in Jujitsu. I also admin a roleplay site.

So, I've been fairly busy. However, Maia popped back into my head and ideas have been flowing. Hopefully I can wrap up this story, and perhaps make a sequel at some point. To those of you who are still reading after this long break, thank you for sticking with me and I'm sorry for the long absence. I have more chapters written and ready to go, so hopefully I can keep up this time. After I post my next chapter, I will take down the Hiatus notice.

With no further ado, all the canon Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, while all of the original characters belong to me. Please rate and comment.

* * *

**Chapter Forty **– _Cousins_

We got home in the early after noon, thirty-one days after we left it. A full month had passed. A mission was successfully completed, but a child was dead. Was it really a success? I didn't think so.

The two gate guards approached us for our identification. I'd already given Shikamaru my passport, and the chuunin gave the five passports to the men.

"What about those three?" One asked after glancing over the documents, noting that the two we'd rescued didn't have documentation - and we hadn't handed over Daichi's.

"These two are expected by the Hokage. We are taking them report in to Lady Tsunade." I told them wearily.

"What about him?" The man eyed the boy in my arms.

"He's dead." My voice was soft and emotionless. "We need to report in at once."

Of course they couldn't let two strangers and a dead kid go without an escort - I understood that, even though I just wanted to go home. There were so many thing I had to take care of before I could do that, though - the first of which being to wait for an escort to the Hokage's tower. Two jounin arrived a few minutes later and off to the tower we went.

When we arrived, the Hokage allowed us in and dismissed the two guards. "What happened?" She asked, taking in the dead boy in my arms. It was a long report. By the end of it, Hanabi was sitting in one chair, with Nobori leaning against it and the two Naganos were sharing the other. Only Shikamaru and Ino still remained standing, and I still had the body in my arms.

"His sacrifice will not go unhonored. We'll take care of his body and prepare it for burial." She summoned a jounin who took the boy from me. Once I removed his hitai-ate, the jounin left the room, A heavy silence filled the room, presumably to do as the Hokage said. but Lady Tsunade broke it after a moment. "You know the procedure, Maia?" I nodded. It was my job to inform the family of my dead genin. It was something I was not looking forward to. Then, once the body was prepared and the funeral was set up, I had to help run that and I had to get his name engraved on the memorial stone. Until now, there was no one on that stone that I personally knew. It was a duty no jounin wanted to have to preform.

"Good. Now then." Her eyes moved to the two survivors of the Nagano clan. "What do we do with you two, hmm?" This was quite a quandry. These two, for all intents and purposes, didn't exist anymore. We couldn't let on that the Leaf had them, either, or the Sound would strike again - and no one wanted that. We had to keep their identities secret, and they had to be guarded. That left it to the five of us to determine. The two genin were immediately out - they just didn't have the skill level required to successfully protect them as they needed it. Ino and Shikamaru lived in clan houses. If there was a reason for the two to enter their clan homes, that would be the best way to protect them. Even without knowing who they were, a clan would protect any of its members - especially if the Hokage ordered it.

But that was the problem - there was no reason for these two to join. "I'm known to take in stray children." I offered, tentatively. That was how I got Ryu, after all.

"What reason would you have to be coming back with two children, Maia? Didn't Ryu leave from Konoha with you on an escort mission?" I nodded and bit my lip, thinking.

"There was... a fire. Yes. A fire. It destroyed the home of these two, and we barely saved them before the fire claimed them. Their parents died in the fire. With no place to live and no documents, I took them in."

"Where was this fire?" Tsunade asked.

"The mission was a secret, Hokage-sama. If I were to divulge that, it would help an enemy determine where we were."

"Even so. Without a fire to back up your claim, it won't work."

"Then fake it. Make it happen here. These two were coming to live with relatives when their parents sent them away, and a fire claimed their relatives lives. Fake the deaths of a pair of shinobi and then I'll take them in. Or they're my relatives and they wanted to learn to be shinobis so my family sent them to me." I was getting frustrated. It wasn't the Hokage's fault that we had to have a good story, but I just wanted to go home. Whether or not I had the children didn't matter as much, but I was the best candidate. I was the only jounin and I didn't have to worry about finding an excuse to integrate them into a clan home.

"Either of those can be arranged. How will you protect them? If they are found out, can you protect them by yourself?" I paused again, thinking. Hm. This was where a clan home would have worked in our favor.

"I'll move into the Hyuuga compound." I told her. It was no secret that Neji and I had a relationship; moving in together wasn't unheard of, though it would be kind of fast. "Tell Neji and Lord Hyuuga who these two are, and there will be no issues, my lady."

"I don't want more people to know than is necessary."

"Even if you gave them to Ino or Shikamaru, you still would have to tell their clan leaders. Without that, the children couldn't be taken in. Adding Neji gives one more protector who knows exactly what is going on, plus a reason to have the children in a clan home. Add that Hanabi and Nobori can help guard, as that is Hanabi's home and Nobori is my genin, and it is one of the better solutions." She paused then, thinking about it. After a long moment, she nodded.

"Fine. Those two are your distant cousins, come to learn to live as shinobis. I will tell Lord Hiashi what I need from him. Until I tell you otherwise, do not tell Neji. We need Lord Hiashi's permission before we can do anything within his clan home." I nodded.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will take these two home then."

"Do that, Maia. Fill out paperwork for the documentation that they moved here from wherever."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Everyone was now standing up again.

"Dismissed." We all filed out of the room. As we left, I looked over at Shikamaru and Ino.

"I'll still need your help in this, whenever you're in the village." They nodded. After getting the paperwork I was ordered to obtain, I turned to Shikamaru and Ino. "I need the two of you to watch these two for me, at least for a little while."

"Already? Don't you need to take them home?" Ino asked.

"I have to talk to Daichi's parents first." I said, glancing at her and then away. There was no argument after that. I handed the pair money. "Why not take them out to eat? Hopefully it shouldn't take too long. I'll come find you when I'm finished." They nodded. Clutching Daichi's hitai-ate, I walked away from the group to do the hardest part of my life style.

I knocked on the door to Daichi's house a few minutes later, standing with my hands before me - in them was his hitai-ate. I hadn't taken any time to go home. I still had my backpack on and I was still a bit dirty from carrying a dead body and travelling. His mother opened the door. She knew who I was, and from the lack of her son she knew why I was here. If I was here and he wasn't, it only meant one thing. Her face fell, but she clung to that last fleeting hope.

"Is.. Is he okay..?" Perhaps he was in the hospital, that was what she was thinking. He was just badly hurt, that was all.

"I'm so, so sorry Mrs. Nakamura. We did everything we could." I don't think she heard everything I said. Once I said sorry, she just crumpled. I caught her as I finished speaking, and she began to weep. Carefully I pulled her inside and shut the door behind me. As the door shut, her husband appeared - and once he saw me he understood what was happening. It took awhile to calm the woman down, but finally we managed it. Then the questions began.

"How... How did this happen?" She asked, looking to me with red eyes. She was clinging to his hitai-ate like it was the only thing holding her to the earth. For all I knew, it was.

"We were sent on a top-secret mission. I'm afraid I can't tell you what we were doing. However." I staved on a fresh bout of weeping, but just barely. "Your son was very brave. Daichi... Daichi knew what he was getting into. I explained it to him and the others what was going to happen, and he didn't falter. He protected me and the others until the very end. That was how he died. He took a kunai for me, and it ended up killing him." So, it was a slight white lie. Daichi had been behind me, but had the kunai been for me I would have been the one that died - at least, thats what I believed. I didn't think he really took that kunai for me.

"A kunai? You couldn't save him from that? What kind of a jounin are you?" The man demanded, venting his anger at me. I understood. It wasn't his fault, though it hurt nonetheless. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"No. It wasn't the kunai that killed him. It was the poison that was on it that killed him. The enemy realized that I was using poison and stabbed him with the blade. I tried to save him, I really did, but it was too late. That poison... That poison is very difficult to stop. I'm so sorry." They would be angry. I pretty much admitted it was my fault their son had died.

"You... You did this?" As I thought.

"No, my weapon did. I didn't do this. The enemy killed him."

"But it was _your_ weapon. _You_did it." That logic was so flawed. But they needed someone to blame, and I was the easiest target.

"I didn't kill him." I sighed, continuing on. "Daichi was as dear to me as a son, and I'm sorry he died. We are preparing his body for a funeral, and his name will be engraved on the Memorial Stone. He lost his life doing what he loved. It is unfortunate he couldn't live longer. I will let you know when his body is ready to be buried." I stood. "I'm sorry for your loss. It should have been me that died. I wish it had been." The woman burst into tears again as I let myself out. They probably would never forgive me. I would have to live with that. After all, I didn't think I could forgive myself either.

I had children to take care of. I had two genin to train. I had a funeral to prepare for. I just wanted to stop, but there was so much to do. I went home first - the children were safe enough with Ino and Shikamaru for now. I went over the whole house, placing sealing jutsus over the windows - no one was entering or exiting from them without a lot of determination. Then I locked my poison desk up - I didn't need either of them snooping and killing themselves.

Once everything was safer, I left the house and resigned myself to searching the village - because I forgot to ask where they were going to be. Twenty minutes and five restaurants later, I found them eating barbeque. Well, leaving the barbeque place at any rate.

"Sorry I took so long."

"It's alright. Everything settled?"

"As settled as I can get it for now. I'd like to go home with my cousins now. Thank you for watching them." The word cousin slipped off my lips easily, though the two looked confused by it.

"Do you want us to walk you there?"

"If Hanabi would come with me, that would be nice, but the rest of you don't have to come. I've taken up enough of your time already." With that, the group split up, leaving me with two children and Hanabi.

"Why do you need me, Maia-sensei?" Hanabi asked as the four of us made our way to my apartment.

"If Neji sees you, he's going to come looking for me. Until I hear from Tsunade-sama, I don't want to see him. I need to know what to tell him." She nodded. The rest of the trip was conducted in silence. When I let us into my home it was still empty - unsurprising, as I had yet to go see Ryu.

"This is our home for now." I gave them the grand tour, during which I told them my room is theirs. I also warned them about the sealing on the windows and that they shouldn't play with my desk. Before I finished, though, there was a rapid knocking at my door. I left Hanabi with the children in the kitchen and went to answer the door - only a handful of people knew I was home. One hand on my kunai pouch, I tugged it open a bit to see a familiar face.

Lord Hiashi was paying me a visit.

I opened the door all the way. "Lord Hiashi. What a pleasant surprise. Please come in." I bowed as he entered my home and shut the door behind him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked politely, once the door was firmly closed between us and the rest of the world.

"I spoke with Tsunade-sama. You have some children in need of protection?"

"Yes, sir. Did you want to meet them?" He nodded. "If you will excuse me for a moment, Lord Hiashi." I went to my kitchen, where the three were still waiting. "There's a man here who wants to meet you. He's the leader of the clan who I was hoping to gain protection from. I'd really like for you to meet him." I looked at the two of them, waiting for them to make the decision. Finally, Tetsuya nodded. "Thank you." I led the small party back into the other room. The two children that were now my wards stayed by me, but Hanabi moved to stand behind her father.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Hiashi-sama." I said, with another bow - this one smaller. "This is Lady Kiyoko and her protector Tetsuya." I said. The two bowed as Hiashi looked them over. As far as I knew, there was no real rank to Tetsuya - but if these two _were_the last of their clan, she needed a bodyguard of the clan and he was all she had. Until they were old enough to carry on the line, they were all that was left.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." Kiyoko said softly as she rose from her bow.

"Is there any refreshment I can get you, Hiashi-sama?"

"No. This visit shouldn't last very long." He moved forward to get a closer look at the children. Tetsuya tensed but didn't move as the older man looked at them with his Byakugan. Clearly he didn't want anything dangerous or some imposter getting in. I could understand that. He asked a few questions about the rest of their clan, which I let the two children answer, before he turned to me.

"If Neji will take part in this, you and your dependents are welcome to come inside of my compound. You will move into his old family home within the branch family section, which should have enough space for you. If you have any problems, please bring them to me or my daughters and we will do our best to make you comfortable. We will protect these two as if they were our own." I bowed deeply.

"You honor us, Lord Hiashi. Thank you for your generosity." The two children bowed as well. Then I let the man out, as he was clearly finished.

"Sir." He turned back to me. I stepped outside and shut the door behind me. "I have another dependant besides these two. I hope that will not be an issue." He shook his head lightly at me.

"No, it won't be a problem, so long as that is all of them. You're no older than my daughter, and yet you have more children than I do!" I smiled slightly.

"I was the best choice to watch those two, and I was Ryu's only choice." I shrugged. "I make it work. I just thought it would be best to tell you."

"Thank you, Maia. I hope to see you again soon."

"Have a good day, sir." With a final bow, I watched him walk off before entering my home again.

"I have to go find Neji. Hanabi, you're welcome to go home. I'll take these two with me." She nodded. "If this goes right, I'll see you later tonight." Hopefully Neji wouldn't be mad at me. We let ourselves out and headed in our own directions - Hanabi to her home and the children and I to the training grounds. Hopefully we would catch them all there.


	41. Trust

So, in two days I will get on an airplane and leave you all until the 15th of July. Fortunately for you guys, I've been writing and I have quite a few chapters ready to go. I'm going to post this one now, and as soon as I can after I get back from vacation I'll post chapter 42.

I said in the last chapter I hope to wrap things up soon. Well, I actually went back and started _watching_ the Shippuden again, and I'm at the end of Season 7. Due to this, I'm going to try to continue following along the storyline like I did in earlier chapters pre-shippuden to the best of my abilities. So, who knows when I'll wrap this up? Perhaps I'll tie it up and post something on the Great War as a sequel. I don't know yet. Please let me know what you'd like - but I do have plans for Neji and Maia that will pre-date that, so don't worry. I've found I have quite a bit of muse, having started to watch the show and seeing what's going on in the show.

As always, please review. I do like to know your thoughts on the story so I can make any edits necessary to the story. This chapter felt a bit fast to me, but it also felt like the right direction - so I'm sorry if it comes off as fast to you all as well. As always, Naruto and all of it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, while all of my original characters belong to me.**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Forty-One **– _Trust  
_

We arrived at the training grounds to catch the end of a sparring match between Neji and Lee. Neji won, pinning the other man to a tree.

"Good job, Neji." I called, bringing attention to myself and the two children with me. I was greeted with a barrage of questions as everyone came over to us. Ryu was there as well, having gotten out of school already. The most prominent question was about the children, but the second most asked was about the mission. Since I couldn't talk about the mission without crying, I decided to talk about the children instead.

"These two are my cousins, Tetsuya and Kiyoko. They have come to live with me so that they can pursue the shinobi path. As I'm the only one alive in my family that is a shinobi, they asked me to watch over them. Tetsuya is going to enroll into the ninja academy as soon as I can get all the paperwork filled out." I told them, the lies falling out easily to my teammates. I hated lying to them, but I had to. "We ran into each other on our way into the gates. It was a surprise."

"What about your mission? How did it go?" Lee asked as I fell silent. I bit my lip.

"I can't tell you a lot of it. The mission was a success, but..." I took a deep breath, looking down.

"What happened? What's wrong?" That was Neji. Of course it was.

"We completed out mission, but... but Daichi... he's... he's dead." I whispered, swiping at my eyes as the tears appeared once more. Tenten gasped as Neji pulled me against him. We were all close, my two teams. My older team, this team, had helped train my genins when I needed it - Tenten had even led them on a mission. They felt the same grief I did, even if it wasn't as strong.

"I'm so sorry, Maia." That was Neji again, but the other two murmured their condolences as well after a moment. I pulled myself together. I could cry later. Once I was certain the tears were done, I pushed away from Neji.

"My poison did it." I told them, before they could ask how he died. "I don't know when his funeral will be yet." His parents might try to keep me from it, but I wasn't going to let them. I would regret it for the rest of my days if I didn't see my students' burial. I took a deep breath. "But we're home. How did your mission go?"

"We got there in time to save most of the villagers. They had already started killing by the time we arrived. We stopped them, but we lost a chuunin and a jounin." I nodded, but I felt my face fall. At least they'd managed to save some, but there was so much death on our side. "There's more patrolling going on along the border, to try to stop these attacks. We haven't yet determined the cause of their attacks, besides trying to get a mass of Leaf shinobi to try and kill." I nodded again. They hadn't been told that these were probably attacks to distract us from their kidnapping of clan members. If they hadn't been told, then I couldn't tell them. Well, I could tell Neji, but not the others.

"I'm sure once we figure out what's going on, we'll stop them." I said with a faint smile. The group nodded. They filled me in on some more minor details, but then silence reigned again. "I think I should take these guys home now. Are you three done with your training?" I asked.

"I think so. It's getting late, so we should probably be heading home anyways." Tenten said, and the two men nodded in agreement.

"Then we can all walk together." I announced cheerfully. That meant I would get to walk with Neji for the rest of the way and we could talk. Good. We went home, talking about nothing in particular, the other two adults parting ways with us at their normal stop. I managed to get Neji to come over, even though he'd been ready to go home. Once inside, I left Ryu and the two "cousins" in the living room and drew Neji aside in the kitchen.

"What's going on, Maia?" He asked me quietly. Nothing escaped him, did it?

"I need you to do something for me, Neji, and I need you to do it without asking why. Can you do that?" I asked him quietly, glancing at the doorway to make sure Ryu wasn't there. The boy couldn't be told.

"What is it you need me to do?" He asked, his tone tinged with wariness. I took a deep breath.

"I need you to invite me to move in with you." It sounded so silly, so stupid, but there it was. He stared at me incredulously.

"I can't just ask you to come into my compound Maia. You should already know that! Lord Hiashi would never forgive me if I didn't ask him first."

"Neji, please. I need you to do this. I can't explain until you ask me." Once it was official I could do it. He hesitated. Clearly he could tell that something else was going on, but he had his clan to think of. I understood that.

"Marry me, Maia. Marry me and live with me." He said after a long silence. That wasn't the question I expected. It wasn't the most romantic proposal, but honestly, I didn't expect it from the man. I could deal with it. It didn't mean we had to act on it for awhile if I said yes, but it was a big step that he was asking me to take. He would blindly trust me, but I had to tie myself to him inexplicably. It was all about trust. I could do it. It would be one of the hardest things I did, though. Emotions were hard, dangerous even. Then my loss of trust in males made it all the more harder. But this was Neji.

"I would be happy to marry you, Neji. Thank you for asking me to live with you." I told him, smiling up at the man.

"I'm glad you say that, but I have no idea how to get Lord Hiashi to approve this."

"That's... been taken care of. Lord Hiashi is expecting me and the other three to live with you." My smile faded, and I was back to business.

"What? Maia. What's going on?" His voice was growing louder, and I hastily shushed him.

"Don't be so loud. Please don't be mad at me, Neji, but Lady Tsunade and the rest of my team decided it would be safest for us to move into the Hyuuga compound, given Lord Hiashi's approval - and yours." His face was impassive, and I was certain he was angry with me - but I had to do it this way.

"Why is it safer?" He asked after a long moment.

"Those two children? My cousins?" I glanced over at the door, my voice dropping to the softest whisper. "They're my mission. Their clan is dead, murdered by Orochimaru's men. He's trying to kidnap members of various clans to steal their bloodline jutsus. We barely saved those two, but if they're discovered they'll be kidnapped or killed. Their jutsu... We really don't want it in Orochimaru's hands. With it, he could literally take over the world." I paused to take a breath. "By myself I can't protect them - but there was no way to feasibly put them into the Nara or Yamanaka compounds. Hanabi and Nobori are both too young and inexperienced to take on the task, and there's no way to explain them joining their families. But me? I've taken in children before, and I could get protection from the Hyuugas. If... If you'll let us, that is." Because this all hinged on Neji now. I didn't think he'd betray who the children were, but he could most certainly block us from the Hyuuga compound. I didn't think he would do that either, but if he was angry enough I was certain he'd do anything. Neji turned away and I watched him uncertainly.

"Is this what we are, then? Something useful to a mission, but nothing else?" I couldn't do this. Emotions were dangerous, I knew that. I had a kid die on me and now the man I loved was thinking I was untrustworthy. I didn't want to use the relationship this way, but if it was safer I had to use whatever means necessary.

"I promised to marry you, Neji. I told you I love you. How could you think that?" I replied. I was hurt, badly, by those two men and Neji saved me from it. He knew how I could react and how terrified I was of my emotions - to admit love without provocation like I had, well, that had to say a lot didn't it? He could see that, right?

"Are you sure, Maia? Or did you just say that to get my approval for this mission?" His tone was low and his whole body was tense.

"If you have so little faith in me, Neji, then I will take my chances outside of the Hyuuga compound. I'm sorry to have bothered you." I was wrong about him, it seemed. I had thought that he, of all people, could understand. We always understood each other so well. Clearly I was mistaken. It hurt more than I expected it to.

But what _could_ I expect? I overstepped my bounds. I did something that affected us both without consulting him. I thought he would be more understanding, that he would help me, but I suppose that was too much to hope for. I expected his anger, but not for him to lose faith in us.

"I never said you weren't welcome to stay with me." He said finally.

"I can deal with your anger, Neji. I understand that you're mad and you should be. But I can't cope with the lack of trust. I can't live with someone who doesn't trust me." If he couldn't trust me, I didn't know what I would do. We've been teammates for years. I trusted him with so much. But this was going to tear us apart. I forced my face to remain neutral. I wasn't going to cry over this in front of him, even though that was all I wanted to do. I had been pushing my feelings away until now, because until now I had to be the captain. I had to keep us alive, I had to bring us home, I had to be strong. Now I was home and there was just more sorrow.

He sighed and turned to me so quickly I took a step back, unsure of what he was going to do. "I'm sorry, Maia." What was he sorry for? Was he going to leave? That was the first thing my mind jumped to. Of course he would leave. I'd done everything I could to fix it, but I'd expected too much it seemed.

"It... It's okay." I took a ragged breath. "You can let yourself out, right?" I was just going to sit in here and cry. My room wasn't my own anymore and the couch was taken by my "cousins".

"What are you talking about?" He sounded genuinely confused. Oh. He wasn't done talking it seemed, wasn't done smashing my heart. Fine. Let him break his promise completely.

"I.. I don't know what else there is to say, Neji. We're done, right? You can't trust me because I messed up. I understand." He stood there staring at me like I was insane. Maybe I was. I didn't know anymore, but what I did know was that I couldn't take much more of this.

Then, in a movement faster than I expected, Neji pressed me against the counter. His hands clutched my shoulders as his lips met mine in a hard, breathless kiss. The sudden movement had me trembling in fear - fear of the past and fear of the unknown. What in the world was going on? He pulled away from me a little, to give me breathing space and so I could calm down my heart.

"We're not done, Maia. I'm mad, and I'm sorry, but I do trust you and I love you, okay? So we're not over. You and the children are going to come live with me, and that is that."

I gave a shakey smile. "I can live with mad. You should go finish the arrangements with Lord Hiashi. He said something about your fathers old home. I'll get the children ready to go." He'd stilled at the mention of his old home, but he nodded.

"I'll see you later, then." I nodded, and he leaned down to kiss me again. We broke apart when someone cleared their throat. Ryu was in the doorway.

"I'm thirsty." He announced as I turned scarlet, and then he walked in and went about getting himself water.

"I'm going to go, Maia." I nodded and the man let himself out.

"Sorry, Maia." I shook my head at the younger boy.

"It's fine. He had to go anyways. Once you've got your water come out to the living room. I have to talk to all of you."


	42. Moving

Since I'm going on vacation and the Fourth of July is coming up tomorrow, I'm going to post this now for your enjoyment. You won't get a new chapter for a little under two weeks though, so I am sorry about that. I hope you enjoy your time while I'm away and I hope you review!

All of the Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto and all of the original characters belong to me.**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Two **– _Moving_

I was standing before the Naganos when Ryu entered the living room. I gestured for him to take a seat, and cleared my throat a bit self consciously before speaking.

"Ryu, what do you think about moving?" I asked, cautious.

"We have to, don't we, because there's not enough space for all of us here?" I nodded. "Are you going to go looking for a place to stay tomorrow?" I paused, and shook my head.

"No. I already found a place to live."

"Already? But you've only been home a few hours." Ryu sounded surprised. Of course he would be. I took a deep breath.

"Neji has invited us to live with him in the Hyuuga compound." I could feel my cheeks heat up a bit.

"Really? They'll let us?" I nodded.

"Yes, Ryu. They'll let us live there." For reasons I couldn't tell him, obviously, but that didn't stop him from asking because he didn't know he wasn't supposed to know.

"How come? It's a clan compound and we're not Hyuugas." I bit my lip again.

"I... Neji asked me to marry him. So... So I'll be a Hyuuga and I can live there. Which means you three can live there too." I said slowly, watching the boy. He was my veritable son - his approval was something I wanted.

"You're gonna marry Neji? Isn't that... fast..?"

"We've known each other since we were your age, Ryu. Besides, we aren't getting married _tomorrow_. We have to plan it and everything, you know?" Though, at this moment, getting married tomorrow or in a year didn't make too much of a difference, at least, not to me; Neji was one of the few men I trusted enough to be this close to after Noboru.

"If you're sure..." He didn't seem pleased with this turn of events. I got up to cross the room and kneel in front of him.

"I don't want you unhappy, Ryu. I don't." But I had to make this work. I couldn't abandon my boy, but these other two children _needed_the protection. "Give it a try? For me? If you really don't like it, we'll figure something else out." I didn't know what I'd do if he took me up on that part of this offer. I had to keep the other two protected. I couldn't tell Ryu about the mission but I didn't want him uncomfortable.

The young boy gave a reluctant nod. "Okay. I just... I just don't want you hurt again." I smiled at the boy. So young and looking out for me.

"Neji wouldn't hurt me like that. Those... those were bad men. He's not like that. It'll be alright, you'll see." I stood up. "Neji said it would be okay if we went over tonight, if you think you can have some things ready to go Ryu." The other two had their things packed still - and I knew that Ryu could have a bag ready to go before the hour was up. But, if he truly just wanted to stay here tonight, I'd let him have the night, even if I wanted to go to the compound. But, the boy nodded and moved to go get things ready to go. I turned to my "cousins".

"You'll like it at the compound, I'm sure." Once Ryu was out of sight, I dropped my voice and moved closer to the two. "Remember. Don't tell anyone about your past. Your last name is Haru, and you're my cousins." I looked at Kiyoko. "Can you remember that?" If she accidentally let something slip, it could mean the end for this mission. It could get them killed. She nodded solemnly. "Good. It's really, really important." My eyes moved to Tetsuya. "I'm going to go pack some things, and then we're going to go. Please be ready to go, okay?"

"Yes, Maia." I grabbed up my pack and went to my room. At least, hopefully, I would have a bed tonight instead of the couch. Or, maybe not. I had no idea what kind of furniture was in the house we were moving to. Hopefully there would at least be a bed for the children. I could sleep on the floor. I dumped out the dirty things on my bed before repacking the Nagano clan kimonos. I would have to find a secure place to store those. Then, on top of them, I packed new, clean clothing - some nicer clothes mixed in with my normal everyday wear and night clothes. I had no idea if I needed them, but I wanted them if I did.

A picture of my parents went on top of this, and then the small jewelry box I had. There wasn't much within it, but I did pause to pull out the ring from that awful mission. I didn't have a ring marking my engagement, but this had once signified that - even if it had been a lie. I slipped it onto my finger and then placed the box into the bag. I still had my weapons and scrolls on me, so there was no need to pack anything like that - though poison making would still be done here until my desk could be moved.

As a kunoichi, I was used to living on the road. I didn't have a lot of keepsakes - too much could be used against me if I did. Even then, I wasn't around to see them so there was no need to have them. I grabbed the wallet that stayed in my dresser - I had a few of these around the house, for emergencies - and tucked it into my bag. The one in my desk would remain here, just in case. Glancing around, there wasn't really anything else to be taken.

I made my way into the living room. Tetsuya and Kiyoko were ready to go - her bear was in her arms and his pack was on his back. Hers was in his arms. We waited in silence for Ryu, who appeared a few minutes later. I smiled at him as the rest of us stood up and filed out. I exited last, locking the door behind us. I lifted up the little girl and her bear, and together the three of us made our way to the Hyuuga compound.

What a sight we must have been to the gate guards when we presented ourselves.

"We have been invited to live within the compound." I told them easily, as if I did this sort of thing everyday. They looked rather incredulous. One of them went to go find Lord Hiashi, the other staying to watch the gate. If they hadn't known me - I'd been around for way too long for the guards not at least have a vague notion of who I was - it probably would have taken longer, as they wouldn't have left it with just one guard. It wasn't long until Lord Hiashi and Neji were both at the gates. Lord Hiashi turned to the two guards.

"These four have my permission to live within the compound. They are to be treated as members of the clan." That would give them the protection they needed, plus the ability to come and go as they needed. I set the five year old down and bowed once again to the man - the children followed my lead.

"Thank you, Lord Hiashi, for allowing us to live here."

"Of course, Maia. I could never deny Neji's bride-to-be a place here." Oh. So he told him did he? Of course he did. My cheeks tinted red, but I just bowed again wordlessly. When we were gestured to enter, I scooped the five year old up again and followed the older man. The two boys that came with me were sticking fast to my sides, so Neji took up the rear instead of walking next to me.

A few Hyuugas paused to watch our odd procession as we made our way to our new home. I pretended like I didn't notice, but it was harder for the others. Kiyoko buried her little face in my shoulder and Ryu was clearly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. I carefully balanced Kiyoko against my side with one arm and put one hand on Ryu's shoulder. I'd have taken his hand, but I didn't want him to feel like I was treating him like a little kid. We found ourselves at a decent sized home. It was painted white like the rest of the homes we'd seen. It had two floors, extending upwards instead of outwards.

"I'll leave you to make yourselves comfortable. Tomorrow I will send assistance to move any furniture in. If there is anything I can do, please let me know." He said, holding my eyes briefly before turning away.

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama." I repeated, watching him leave. Then I turned to look at Neji. "Could you get the door?" My arms were full of children - it wasn't like I could do it myself.

Once we were inside, it was shown that the place was sparsely furnished - unsurprising. Lord Hiashi had said something about the furniture. Clearly it had been removed for others to live here, or probably to keep it from getting all dusty and gross. Hopefully they at least put a bed in one of the rooms; as I'd figured before I could sleep on the floor, but I'd rather the children get an actual bed.

There was nothing in what looked to be the living room yet. I set Kiyoko down as we all removed our shoes and explored our new home. The small foyer-like area opened up into the living room. To the right was a large opening in the wall, which led into the kitchen and dining area. To take a left would head towards the stairs and another room, which could serve a number of purposes. Maybe a study or something along those lines. Upstairs was the living area - and that appeared to be all it was for. There was a sizeable master bedroom as well as three other bedrooms and two bathrooms. The two bathrooms on the second floor had showers and the other amenities while the master bathroom had a shower _and_a bath. The downstairs bathroom had a toilet and that was about it. The kitchen had a fridge and a stove that appeared to be in working order - I'd have to go about stocking it later. Two of the bedrooms had beds: the master bedroom and one of the other smaller bedrooms.

We decided to give the two Naganos the master bedroom for the night - it had the biggest bed and the two would share more amicably than any other pairing. Ryu was given the other bed; Neji and I would be camping out in one of the other bedrooms. There was the unfortunate lack of bedding, though, which would give us a hard floor to sleep on. Not that it wasn't harder than the ground we slept on when we had to go on missions, but we weren't on a mission. At least the children had blankets.

"I can go back home and get what we have from there." I offered. It wasn't like I didn't have to start moving those things over anyways. I just hadn't thought about it when I left.

"This is your home now, Maia." Neji corrected, gently. "I can go to my old rooms and get what I have from there - it's closer." I shrugged.

"If that's what you want to do. I have to get the rest of our things tomorrow anyways." Tomorrow was going to be _such_a long day. I had supply information so documents could be created for the Naganos, Tetsuya had to be enrolled in the ninja academy so that their cover wasn't blown, and then there was furniture to be moved. I also had to get groceries at some point and then whatever we were missing in the way of furniture and the like would have to be purchased. I needed to find out how much money was at our disposal. At some point I had to figure out when the funeral was going to be. I knew realistically all of those tasks weren't going to get finished tomorrow, but I was going to try my hardest to get them to all happen.

"You're going to look silly, leaving your old rooms with the bedding." I teased. He smiled at me briefly.

"I'll be back soon, Maia." I nodded as the man left. Someone had to watch the Naganos at all times, so it wasn't like I could help him.

"Take Ryu with you. He can help you." I called after him, following him out of the room. Ryu was loitering in the hall with the other two and he heard me just fine. Without comment the boy followed after Neji. When they were gone, I looked to the two left with me and was struck with the enormity of what I'd taken on.

With Ryu, I didn't have to worry about guarding him at all times. How in the world was I going to keep Tetsuya under guard while he was at the school without making it obvious? Kiyoko was easy - she was too young to go to the school so someone just had to watch her. I could probably start teaching her shinobi skills too, once I started training with my team again. I'd have to talk to Tsunade-sama about that at some point in my already busy schedule. Neither Ino nor Shikamaru taught the academy students, at least not as far as I was aware, and my students were both genin and had no reason to be in the academy.

"Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. Don't go far from Neji or I, either of you. I'm going to submit paperwork sometime tomorrow or the day after so they can make documents for you - and then I'm going to enroll you, Tetsuya, into the Ninja Academy." He opened his mouth to object. I expected this - they came from a pacifist clan - but he was going to have to work past that. I cut him off before he could speak. "Your cover story is that you're here with me, your cousin, to learn how to be a shinobi with your younger sister. You _have_to go to the school and start to learn, or people will start to wonder. I'll be teaching Kiyoko myself, once I start training my students again. It will be hard, but you need to try to do your best." Speaking of, I would have to get him basic shinobi gear. Kiyoko wouldn't start with any blades or anything until I was sure it was safe. His mouth snapped shut, because I covered all of the bases - why he had to do it and how I'd keep Kiyoko safe.

"Now. I need to put protections on the windows to make it harder for someone to get in. So, if you'd just come with me? I don't want to leave you alone in this house until I've had a chance to check it thoroughly." For all I knew, they were already compromised and there was someone hiding in the house. I didn't think to have Neji scan the house with his Byakugan - as soon as he came back I'd ask him to do so. Until then, I went around placing protective sealing jutsus on the windows in each room, starting with the master bedroom - where these two would be staying until we got more beds. I got through all of the upstairs before Neji and Ryu returned with the bedding - as well as with Hanabi. Good. I could use her.

"Hey, Hanabi. Would you tell these three a little bit about the compound while Neji and I get a game plan set up?" That was as good of an excuse to keep her with them as I could think of, and that let me get Neji alone so he could scan the house without looking suspicious. So, once Ryu deposited the pillows he was carrying, he went to go listen to Hanabi and I had Neji to myself for a few minutes.

"Would you check to make sure no one is in the house?" I asked softly as I started to make a bed. We'd be sleeping together, of course. Even if the thought of sharing a bed with a man scared me to death, it would be expected and any Hyuuga that looked to see who we were or what we were doing with their Byakugan would expect to see that if we were asleep. How scary. We'd have very little privacy. Neji tensed and quickly invoked the Byakugan.

"Why? Did something happen?" I shook my head.

"No, nothing like that. I just want to make sure. I couldn't scan the house myself with two children in tow - but I couldn't leave them alone either." The man relaxed and nodded. He gave the all clear a few moments later. "Good." I paused as I continued to set up the bed. "You're not going to train tomorrow."

"Why am I not going to train tomorrow?" He still sounded a bit angry at me, but I ignored the tone to continue.

"Because there's a lot of things that need to get done, and you're going to help me." I told him what needed to happen - and he just sighed. "Oh, don't be a baby. It's not like missing one day will kill you. I would know. I've missed plenty."

"I know. What would you like me to do?" At least he wasn't going to make a fuss. I didn't expect him to, really, but he could have - especially given that he was mad at me still.

"Well, I have to get the paperwork to Tsunade-sama as soon as I can, so I'm going to do that first thing tomorrow. If you could start moving our things here, I can help you as soon as I get done with the papers." That was going to be the hardest task there - moving all the furniture from our old homes to this new one. "I'll probably get my students to help out too, and then there's Ryu and Tetsuya. Hopefully with enough help it won't take too long." He nodded, resigned to the task. I poked him.

"At least I'm not making you do the shopping too. I still have to find time to do _that_as well as get those documents done and plan a funeral." My voice hitched on the last task. I turned away so I could gather myself, but I still saw his face soften at the reminder of my loss. "Anyways. If you could do that I would be very appreciative." I continued after a moment, making myself at least fake cheer.

"Maia, you don't have to hide anything." He murmured, but I shook my head before he could manage to pull those tears back to the surface.

"I can't, not right now. There's three kids out there we have to take care of still. I have to hide it." I stood up. The bed was done. "I'm going to find out what they want to do for dinner. There's no groceries, so we'll probably go out." I smiled down at Neji - a fake smile, but a smile none the less. "You should probably get ready to go." Then, before he could stop me, I strode out of the room.


	43. Funeral

I'm back from my vacation! Sorry for the delay in posting this. I hope you've enjoyed the latest installments of the story - I don't know how you all feel because no one has given me a review. I don't mind criticism, so please don't be shy.

Naruto and all of its characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. All original characters belong to me.**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Three **– _Funeral_

We ended up getting Ramen. Honestly. It was probably one of the worst meals, but it was one of the cheapest options - and we were probably going to need all of the money we had. It was quiet - no one else was at the stand with us and none of the children were speaking. It was getting late and the Naganos were tired from the travelling they'd done so they turned in. Ryu went to put the last touches on his homework in his room - so it was just Neji and I.

I was terrified.

The last time I shared a bed with a male was in Kusogakure - with Neji. Then Noboru happened. I hadn't been in a bed with another person since Noboru - though, technically, that had been chains and a hard floor - and I was afraid to go to bed tonight. It was silly. I knew, without a doubt, that nothing bad would happen. I _knew _Neji wouldn't do that. It didn't make me any less scared though.

But I had to. It came with what I agreed to. I said I'd marry him. Sleeping in the same bed was part of that - and so was other things. That was part of marriage I wasn't looking forward to, due to the scars of my recent past, but Neji knew that. It wasn't any less scary though.

He went to the room we were staying in for the night as I made sure the children were all set for bed. It was a play for more time, and Neji knew it, but I was going to use it. By the time I returned to our room, I was trembling from anxiety. I hadn't suffered a panic attack in a few weeks, but if I wasn't careful I was going to have another one. I stopped outside of the door, trying to control my heart rate and my breathing. Honestly, I was acting so stupid. I stood there long enough that Neji took notice and opened the door.

"Maia. It's okay. Come on." He stepped aside for me to go in. I hesitated and he sighed before extending one of his hands. "Maia." I eyed his hand, my panic making me wary. The small rational part that was left in my brain was calling me all kinds of stupid, but the rest of my mind was ignoring it. I took a deep breath and then another, then I carefully took his hand. I knew he could feel me shaking, but I couldn't stop it.

He carefully pulled me into the room and shut the door. "Relax, Maia. Take deeep breaths. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Sorry..." My voice was small, but I was trying to fight past it. I really was.

"It's okay, Maia. It's not your fault. Do you want me to sleep somewhere else?" I shook my head after a moment - because I really wanted to say yes.

"No... You can't. I'll... I'll be okay." I didn't sound too sure of myself, but Neji accepted it. I would do it. I had to. We had to do this for the mission. We had to do this for each other. I had every reason to not fail.

"I saw you're wearing the ring. I'll get mine tomorrow, if you want." I nodded a little. That would be nice. These rings are part of what brought us together. Why not use them for their purpose - they _had _been our engagement rings once before.

He started talking at me then. We just stood there in the room, and he talked. I don't even know what he talked about really. It was a number of things. Missions, people we knew, the future, gibberish - whatever he could think of. Pretty much it was just noise, but it gave me the time to calm down. Nothing bad was happening. See? It was fine.

Finally, of my own volition, I pulled him closer and buried my face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry." His grip around me was loose - so soon after the near-panic attack he was going to take care not to set me off again.

"It's not your fault. It's okay." He rested his chin on top of my head.

"It's just... just too much." I whispered. "All of this. Why is it so hard?"

"It's because we're jounins. We have more responsibility. More worries. You have more of all that than me, because of your team." He paused for a few moments. "You can tell me, you know. You don't have to carry it alone."

"I had to torture again, in front of Ino and Nobori." I said, finally. "I dealt out so much pain before resorting to the poison. I think Ino is afraid of me." The girl at the very least respected me more after that torture session. Or she was wary of me turning on her. One of the two. I hoped for the former, but I was fairly certain it was the latter. I talked for awhile about the mission, about Daichi. The funeral would probably be tomorrow. There wasn't much to plan for his death - I knew how it happened and his body carried no clan secrets. His name would be engraved into the Memorial stone and his body would be buried with the rest of the shinobi who gave their lives.

Talking eventually led to crying, which sucked majorly. I hated crying. Eventually I cried myself out. "Sorry..." I muttered, pushing away from Neji slightly.

"It's alright. Why don't we get ready for bed? It's going to be a long day tomorrow." I nodded slowly. I still wasn't looking forward to that, but I wasn't as panicky as I was before. Neji stepped out of the room so I could change. I was glad for it - I wasn't sure how far I could push this. I was changed and debating climbing into the makeshift bed when Neji came back in, dressed in his own sleeping wear. I wasn't certain that he normally wore a shirt to bed, or if it was for my own comfort, but either way I was happy with it. "Come on, Maia. Let's go to bed." He carefully stretched out on the nest of blankets. Hesitantly I crawled onto them next to him. "We can sleep like we did during that mission, if you'd like." He offered gently. I nodded. Sleeping with my back to him would be easier, for now. It took me awhile to fall asleep, but as far as I could tell Neji fell asleep rather quickly.

Morning came too soon. I woke up curled against Neji, one of his arms draped over me. I couldn't breathe for moment, but I released the pent up breath shakily.

"Good morning." I could feel the words rumble in his chest. He was acting if this happened everyday.

"What time is it?" I asked, trying to be as casual as he was as I sat up and stretched.

"About six thirty." Lovely. Ryu had an hour and a half to get ready and be at the academy. He'd be getting up soon.

"I have to go out and get something for breakfast. Can you watch them?" He nodded. "Alright." I gathered some clothes and moved to the bathroom to change. I still wasn't willing to undress before him. Then, I left to start my very busy day. It didn't take me long to get supplies. I made sure that along with minimal breakfast items I grabbed plates and eating utensils - I would hate to make food and not have anything to serve it on. I returned and had breakfast ready so that Ryu had plenty of time to head to the academy. Then it was time to start on the paperwork of the children while Neji started to deal with the furniture of our new home.

I made up a lot of the information that went on those documents. The three of us stayed upstairs in the master bedroom; Neji was coordinating work downstairs and we were staying out of the way. Both of my teams came to help out. It didn't take long to fill out the documents though, so I was soon heading downstairs with the two. I had my weapons and scrolls on me. I didn't expect trouble this soon, but no need to be unprepared. Tetsuya was carrying Kiyoko on his back. After letting Neji know where we'd be, the three of us went to the Hokage's tower. Once we got to see her, I turned in the paperwork and asked after Daichi's funeral.

"We've informed the family that the funeral will take place at three this afternoon. His body is prepared for the ceremony." I nodded. "We'll be there. Thank you, Hokage-sama." I was about to leave, but I remembered the other question I had to ask her. "Tsunade-sama, how will Tetsuya be protected while at the Academy? I can't be there and neither can the rest of the team, because of our rank. And without a reason, people - like Team Gai - will wonder why I'm here and not out on a mission. The last couple of times I wasn't sent out, it was due to injuries." She paused to think on it, before nodding.

"As the poison expert of the village, I can order you to teach the academy students about various poisons and their uses." I thought about it, but shook my head.

"I still have Kiyoko. You won't keep the others in the village at all times - to tie us all down will be a waste of manpower. I can't take her to the academy with me. I can't take her to the interrogation chambers either. If I'm the only one of this team left in the village, I have to watch them." She couldn't keep all the others in the village. My genin, maybe, but they wouldn't be able to defend them against any of Orochimaru's stronger henchmen. We were only lucky that the people he sent didn't have the curse mark. She sighed.

"We'll have to bring one more person into this. I don't want to do that - more people means it's easier to get out, but someone needs to monitor Tetsuya. He will be placed in Iruka's class, and he will monitor Tetsuya. Go and give him the information he needs." I nodded.

"What about Kiyoko? I'll be in the village with her, unless you intend to send me on missions and have Neji watch her while I'm gone." He was the only other person who would be able to watch her and Tetsuya, as he shared our home.

"Unless there is an emergency, I'll trade you and Neji out - neither of you will be outside of the village at the same time. In the case of an emergency, you will bring both of them directly to me so I can make sure they are properly protected." I bowed.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will go to Iruka-sensei now."

I escorted the children back out. That gave us about six hours. The first thing I needed to do was go see Iruka-sensei. It had been awhile, but I knew he would be in good hands. School was in session, but I'd have to interrupt. We walked to the school together.

"This is where you'll be going to school, Tetsuya." I told him as we walked inside. I went to one of the secretaries that ran the school. "I'm here on Hokage's orders to see Iruka-sensei." I told her. She nodded and I led the children to his classroom. I ensured that Tetsuya and Kiyoko were out of sight before I tapped on the door and tugged it open.

"Iruka-sensei, I need to have a word with you please." I said as everyone looked up.

"Everyone, study on your own for a little bit." The man said before coming to stand in the hall with me. He looked over at my two companions as he slid the door shut. "What's going on, Maia?" I glanced around the hallway and lowered my voice.

"I'm here to give you some information of a top secret mission." I murmured. His eyes widened and he stepped closer so our words could be softer. I quietly explained what was going on. I left out the information about their bloodline jutsu - he didn't need to know about that. He looked over at Tetsuya before glancing back to me.

"So you want me to watch him while he's here?" I nodded.

"Hokage-sama will make sure that he is placed in your class. If anything strange happens at all, send word to the Hokage at once. I or one of the others on the mission will come to see if the enemy have found him. If there is an attack, he must _not_ be taken. Whatever means necessary - Orochimaru _cannot _get this jutsu on his side." If he controlled one of these children... I couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen. He nodded, though he looked apprehensive. I smiled lightly. "I don't think they'll figure out where he is, but even if they do I don't foresee them trying to take them from here. This is just a precaution." Another nod.

"I'll do my best, Maia."

"That's all we can ask." I left him to go back to his class.

The next thing I was going to do was get the two children with me proper mourning clothes. Then there was groceries to buy. Either Neji or I would be sent on missions, but the other would be stuck watching the children. That meant we needed food.

We killed about two hours buying various necessities. I would have bought other things, but I had no idea what the house needed. So, after killing three hours running errands, we headed back to the house with our groceries and some flowers I bought for the funeral. The three of us put the groceries away, and then Tetsuya and Kiyoko went upstairs to amuse themselves under Hanabi's watchful eye. She could sound the alarm to one of the many chuunin or jounin in the house if something happened. So, I helped move everything in. It was mostly Neji's things, as they were close by.

At two we all stopped so we could prepare for the funeral. Freshly bathed and garbed in black, everyone in the house was ready to go by two thirty. Together with Hanabi, we walked to Daichi's final resting place. We met everyone there. Daichi's parents glared at me, but they didn't make a scene. That was nice of them. It was a solemn affair. Many of us said some words. I took my turn right after his parents - because I was the one that raised him as a shinobi.

"Daichi was a brave genin. He never faltered when it came to defending his teammates. He told me, when we first met, that he wanted to become a member of the ANBU - and had he survived, I am sure he would have made it there. He was confident and strong, hardworking and loyal. I am honored to have been his sensei. The world will be a darker place without him."

Once everyone who wanted to speak said their piece, he was buried and his grave was marked with a tombstone. His parents knelt before it first, placing flowers and praying before it, before I took my turn. I set my own flowers there, and removed two of my clean kunai to set before it.

"I'm so sorry Daichi. I failed you. I failed as your sensei, as a jounin, and as a poison user. Your death should never have happened. I wish I had taken that blade." I whispered to the stone, hoping that somehow he could hear me. I moved away so that Nobori and Hanabi could take my place, followed by the others who wanted to pray. I wiped my eyes. I had to stop this. I needed to pull my act together and be strong. I couldn't continue to mourn - he wouldn't want that and it would do me no good. But this last time, at this sad ceremony, I would let myself cry. Then I would push past my grief. I had to.


	44. Asuma Sarutobi

****Alrighty, here is the next chapter! Lets see... since the last time I posted, I had my birthday. I'm now nineteen. I got a new bird - a cinnamon green-cheek conure - named Sunny. That's really all that I have for this section, since I have nothing to reply to in my reviews. So please, please review. I would really appreciate it.

Naruto and all of its characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. All original characters belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Four **– _Asuma Sarutobi_

Until the people helping us move the furniture weren't around and Ryu wasn't in the house, I couldn't put protections on the house. Even then I had to be careful, because if someone saw me doing it they would be curious and come investigate. This was made infinitely more diffuclt, seeing how I was surrounded by Hyuugas with the Byakugan. However, it didn't take very long to do - with the strength of everyone, we had almost everything moved from our old homes and into the new one by noon the next day. All that was left was various boxes of things - nothing large like the furniture.

I was with Kiyoko at home and the two boys were at school. Tomorrow I was going to continue training my team. I needed to find out if I was going to get a new squad member to balance the loss of Daichi sometime today. First, though, I was putting everything in its proper place in the desk. Then I went through each scroll and made sure everything was where it needed to be. It was during this that I saw the two extra scrolls in my emergency scroll - the Nagano clan secrets. I never told Tsunade-sama about them. I quickly packed up and scooped Kiyoko up from the floor.

"We're going to go run some errands, alright?" I told the girl as I took us out of the room. She was getting resigned to not having any privacy and having to leave with whoever was with her - generally me. It wasn't long before I was at the Hokage's tower, but I had to wait for a little while - she was in the middle of something. Ten minutes later, there were many footsteps heading down the hallway, and I stood, wondering what was going on. There was quite a few shinobi moving towards us. In the group was Shikamaru and Ino - they paused briefly to let me know they were being sent on an emergency mission. I nodded and wished them luck as they headed out with the group. I wonder what warranted four shinobi groups, but I didn't ask. It was after they were gone that I was allowed to see the Hokage. She didn't say anything on the mission she just handed out - and frankly, I didn't expect her to.

"In my report, I told you we went back to their home. I forgot to turn in the scrolls and artifacts that we recovered for safe keeping." I produced the two scrolls and set them before her on her desk. "These are sealed using my blood and the blood of Tetsuya, for extra protection." That kind of seal was also much harder to break wihout their blood of both. Not to say that it was impossible, but it would make it harder for anyone that stole them. The woman put her hands on the scrolls.

"I'll see that these are kept safe until they are able to properly defend them." I nodded. "Was that everything you needed, Maia?" I could tell she had plenty of other things on her mind - probably things that had to do with whatever major mission was just started - but I shook my head.

"Are there any genin or chuunin without a team? I plan to start training again tomorrow, and I've got an open spot in my team." If I had died, it would have been easier to find someone to train them. Any chuunin could take them on a mission, and there were plenty of jounins available to oversee their training. A genin would be difficult to find, or even a chuunin, to join a new squad. It was so unlikely for a genin to be killed. Perhaps there was an academy student to be tested into genin rank, or there was an extra genin.

"I will have someone check the rosters to see if there is anyone available to fill the missing spot. If not, we will fill in that member with a chuunin when you go on a mission." I nodded.

"If that is everything, you are dismissed." I bowed, but paused briefly.

"The mission that Shikamaru and Ino just went on. Will it affect my mission?" I asked. I didn't need to know details - I just needed to know if something bad might happen to the kids.

"No. If anything changes, I will let you know." I nodded and bowed again.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama." But I could tell her thoughts were already elsewhere. I ushered Kiyoko out and then checked the time. The academy would be let out soon. Everyday either Neji or I had watched Tetsuya and Ryu on their way home - not that Ryu knew that. We followed covertly, making sure nothing bad happened to them. So, I got into position and followed them once they came out, carrying Kiyoko on my back. I was careful to stay out of sight and sensing range of Ryu - I wasn't certain how good he was at sensing when people were following him.

The rest of the day I spent with the three kids. Neji was out training for most of the day. I was going over the things they learned in school. Ryu did his homework while I helped Tetsuya with his. Then, I started teaching Tetsuya and Kiyoko basic shinobi things. Kiyoko would start slower than Tetsuya, of course, due to her age, but there really wasn't much I could do at home without damaging the furniture. I prepared dinner and for the first time in over a month I slept in a bed. I still had anxiety, but it wasn't nearly as severe as the first night. Nothing bad happened, which was more convincing than logic.

It had been a week, and I neither had a mission or a new team member. Nothing exciting had happened on my end either, with the children. That didn't mean I was getting less alert. Orochimaru was unpredicable, so I couldn't afford to let my guard down. I was fairly certain the man would give up on whittling our land down to try to find the children - they were more of an asset than the attacks on the townss, especially since we knew them for what they were.

That was when the shinobi from that mission returned.

We were on the training grounds when a bird messenger summoned us to the Hokage's tower. I couldn't think of what would cause her to call me - only to see that she had summoned Neji as well. It seemed she wanted the jounins for something. I wondered what it was. In either case, Hanabi and Daichi were watching the two children, with explicit orders to alert the rest of team Gai if anything happened.

There were other jounin at the Hokage's Tower - more than expected for a mission. Was there an emergency? If only. Tsunade stood before us, and made an announcement.

"Yesterday, we lost one of our own. Asuma Sarutobi was killed in the line of duty yesterday in the fight against the Akatsuki. His funeral will be held tomorrow at noon." She told us all, a bleak look on her face. Oh man. I couldn't even imagine how his team felt. Tsunade dismissed us after saying a few more words, and I quickly approached her.

"I would like to remove Shikamaru and Ino from my mission until they have finished grieving." It wasn't as if I had needed to utilize them yet. Perhaps I wouldn't ever - though I doubted that. One day they would be found. I had no doubt about that.

"They will be busy with this for the time being. They won't need to be informed of this." I nodded.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." I bowed and went back over to Neji. Most of the jounin were milling about still, sorrow etched on their faces. We had to break it to our teams. I wasn't looking forward to another funeral, when we'd just buried my boy. Neji draped an arm across my shoulders as we walked back together, and I put my arm around his waist.

"I can't believe he's gone." I murmured. He was a brave fighter and a great shinobi. I didn't have to have known him long to know that. "It could have been one of us."

"It always could be one of us. That's the risk we take." I knew that. I courted death just as often as every other shinobi - if not more, with my poisons. It didn't mean I liked the thought of death. I could accept my own death, but I didn't want to see the others die. I didn't want to mourn them. Selfish, but true.

We parted to go to our respective teams. My students were too young to have known Asuma, and so they weren't as affected. Still, I let them go home for the day. The children walked with me to team Gai's training grounds, and by their faces I could tell that Neji had told them. I smiled weakly at them, having no comfort to give.

That night was a solemn affair, and so was the funeral that followed. I spoke of how he had once saved my life when I was a genin - if it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't be here. There was a lot of well wishers there - he had touched a lot of lives. At least his team had been there with him at the end.

It wasn't long before team Ten left the village again under the supervision of Kakashi. While Ryu and Tetsuya were in school, I started to work with the Interrogation Unit again. Neji and the rest of team Gai watched Kiyoko for me while I did the work. We needed the extra income - we hadn't been on a mission in awhile, and while the top secret mission paid a bit more than normal B-ranked missions, we still had five of us to support. It was only so hard because we were just getting on our feet.

It was during one of those times that I received an urgent message from Neji. I had just finished an interrogation, so I rushed to team Gai's training grounds immediately. When I got there, Kiyoko appeared upset and the others were looking grim. I was instantly on alert.

"What happened?" I moved to kneel next to Kiyoko.

"They know about her parents, Maia." My head snapped up to look at Neji. This wasn't good. My teammates, now knowing this small tidbit, wouldn't be able to drop it. The two were supposed to be here from some of my family members - but they were alive.

"What's going on here? Maia?" I bit my lip. Damn it. What was I supposed to do?

"Neji. Please go report in to Tsunade-sama." He nodded, and before the other two could react, he was gone.

"You're keeping secrets from us? I thought we were a team!" That was Tenten.

"It's not my choice, Tenten. It's top secret. I _can't_ tell you. Please understand that." I didn't _want_to keep the secret, but I had to. Even from my teammates. I could only hope they understood - they were shinobi too. Sometimes we had to keep secrets. I had many secrets that none of my teammates were aware of - being part of the Interrogation unit saw to that. I lifted Kiyoko into my arms and stood.

"But..." That was Lee. "How come you couldn't tell us?"

"Because I was ordered not to. I can't go against orders, Lee. Neither can you." He nodded slowly. "The only reason Neji found out was because I needed aid in guarding the children. It's the reason why we moved in together so quickly." It would have happened eventually, but it was much faster than if things had normally progressed.

"Really?" That was both of them, together. I sighed.

"Yeah. I think he's still mad at me." Suddenly, Neji was next to me.

"Yes. I'm still mad at you over that." I frowned and looked away. That bothered me, even though I knew that I deserved it. "Tsunade-sama is not pleased, but she gave the go ahead to read them in." I released a pent up breath before explaining what was going on with Kiyoko and Tetsuya, minus their jutsu.

"Ryu doesn't know. He can't find out. But, now that you guys know, you're going to be helping out." It would be a lot easier to incorporate them than it would Ino and Shikamaru. I saw these guys semi-regularly, unlike the other two. They nodded, pleased to have been brought into the secret. I looked at Kiyoko.

"You have to be more careful. You can't talk about your past like that, okay?" She nodded glumly, and I smiled. "It's alright this time, but don't talk to anyone else about it." I set her down again. "I have to get back to the Interrogation unit. I have to get a few more things done. Lee. If you would please shadow Ryu and Tetsuya until they get to the training grounds, it would be wonderful. Stay far enough back so that they don't see or sense you." He nodded and gave me a thumbs up.

"Alright, Maia!" I nodded.

"I'll see you all later." And with that, I was back to the job I hated.


	45. Newest Trials

Sorry that this is late. I meant to have this up yesterday, but Skyrim distracted me. So, here you go. I hope you enjoy it and can forgive me for it being a day late.

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. All the original characters belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Five **– _Newest Trials_

It had been a week since Asuma's funeral. Kakashi and the rest of his team had returned after killing two of the Akatsuki. I still had no idea why they had been after the Akatsuki in the first place, but Asuma had been avenged.

I went to train my team, this being one of the days I didn't need to be with the Interrogation unit. It was there that I had a pleasant surprise. I had a new genin. Nobori and Hanabi were talking to him, and I approached curiously.

"Hello." I greeted once I was at a conversational distance. "I'm Maia."

"I'm Kaito. Kaito Fukui." The boy said, a grin on his face.

"Welcome, Kaito. How long have you been a genin?" I asked. He looked unfamiliar, and the likelyhood for a genin that had been out of the academy for awhile was very low. Unless he'd been paired with a team that had been killed in the line of battle - but I'd heard of no such thing.

"I just graduated from the academy yesterday." Of course. I sighed a little, then nodded. "Nobori, Hanabi. Warm up. I'll be working with Kaito today."

"Yes, Maia-sensei." They chorused before moving away. The new boy looked confused.

"Why're they going over there?" Clearly he'd not been informed that he was joining a team that was already formed.

"They've been my genin for a long time now. We... We lost one of our own, and Tsunade-sama has replaced him with you. Until you're caught up to their level, they'll work mostly on their own." He frowned. He probably expected to be the hotshot of the group, but he was going to be a deadweight for however long it would take for him to catch up. "You'll have to work hard. It won't be easy." The other two would be displeased - there would be no more missions of the level they were used to. "Are you up to the task?" He nodded.

"Yes, Maia-sensei." I smiled.

"Good." Until he was ready, I wouldn't introduce him to the mission all of us were on. As he was an immediate team member dropped in the middle of the B-ranked mission, we'd have to watch out for this boy as well as the children we were guarding - he'd be in more danger than the two children. He'd rush in and get himself killed. "What are your strengths and weaknesses, Kaito? What are you good at? What are your goals? Tell me about yourself." I was going to work him hard, harder than most new-genin, but I could at least give him the basic introduction that I gave Hanabi and Daichi.

"I prefer long range jutsu and weapons to close taijutsu." That meant physically, he wasn't going to be as strong. "I want to be part of one of the strong units, like the ANBU." I smiled sadly - that had been Daichi's wish too.

"I am a strong taijutsu fighter, and it's what I teach. I will help you develop jutsus, but you will need to become strong in taijutsu as well. Sometimes long distance won't work and you'll have to be able to protect yourself." He nodded a bit. "As for your goal, that's very noble of you - the ANBU is a very strong group, filled with our best shinobi. I hope one day you can reach that goal." I paused briefly. "Now! You have a lot of catching up to do. Let's begin!"

Because I was no longer able to consistantly work with the Interrogation unit, Neji was sent out on missions to make up for the lack of income. Tenten and Lee helped make up for it by taking on guard duties when they were out in the village - shadowing the children to school and then to the training grounds afterwards. Kaito was, as expected, not very strong when it came to taijutsu or long-term exertion. A lot of what we did went towards building up his strength. Running, push ups, sit ups, speed training - it started out slow, but he was getting stronger. It would just take time.

Whenever I could, I worked with Hanabi and Daichi. I subjected them to harder work outs than Kaito - giving them more exercise than him, pushing them to become stronger. Meanwhile, Tetsuya and Kiyoko were working hard at the little I had given them to learn. With Kiyoko, it was a delicate balance to push her while still keeping in mind her age. With Tetsuya, I had to work past his instilled pacifism. I had more than enough on my hands with the whole lot of them.

Tenten and Lee helped out, though. I got Tsunade to okay a D-rank mission for the team. My older two weren't too pleased, but I had to start building teamwork between the three. Tenten and Lee watched the children for me while we did it. It was simple, really - just cleaning up trash in the park - but it was a start. Besides, I couldn't leave the village for anything higher anyways. I had the children to watch. So, they'd just have to resign themselves to D-rank missions - at least until Neji came home. Maybe I could take them on a C-rank when he returned.

Weeks passed with Neji coming and leaving as needed - many of them higher ranking, so he'd be gone for longer. Finally, Tenten and Lee received a mission too. They went with Shizune and Ino to aid two other shinobi groups in sealing the Three-Tails. I wished them the best of luck - but that left me as the only high ranking shinobi defending the children. Shikamaru was on his own mission, and Iruka was only on duty for the brief time Tetsuya was in the school.

Of course, that was when everything went wrong. I had successfully shadowed Tetsuya and Ryu wtihout Ryu being the wiser and Kiyoko was fine. Kaito had once asked me what I was doing, and I told him I was just testing Ryu's perception of people around him - so please don't mention it to him. It would hold for now, but I didn't know if or when he'd say something. The two boys were practicing their aim while Kiyoko was watching. I was watching Hanabi and Nobori spar while throwing kunais for Kaito to dodge.

Then, a noise behind me caught my attention, and I held fast to the kunai I was about to throw, instead whirling to block the sword coming down at me.

"Hanabi!" I called over my shoulder. "How many are there?" Nobori and Hanabi had moved to protect the children, while Kaito stood confused.

"Four, Maia-sensei!" Damn. Okay. Of course, there would be no one to help us, either. How did they get in, that was the question? I leaped away from the man with the sword and landed near Kaito. I grabbed him before leaping to the others.

"We'll be taking the children, if you don't mind. Orochimaru is quite upset that they were intercepted." I really didn't care what Orochimaru felt about our saving the children. What I _did_ care about was if these people bore the curse mark. If they did, there was no way my genin could protect them. I couldn't defend against four of them and keep everyone else safe. I didn't think I could even keep _myself_safe against four enemies with the curse mark. I threw the clean kunai at him to see what he would do as I stepped in front of Kaito. He deflected it with a grin.

"What are you gonna do, girlie? You and your genin can't beat us." I smirked.

"My genin and I stopped you the first time - what's to say we won't do it again?" I put my hands on my deadly kunai, but faltered. No. I couldn't use those. Another one of my genin might die, or even Ryu or one of the children. Instead, out came poisons that would cause delusions, dizziness, and nausea - before thinking better of it. "Get ready, guys. Hanabi, you have Kiyoko. Nobori, you have Ryu. Kaito, get ready." I quickly made five hand seals. "Elusive Mist!" A fog rolled in quickly, erasing visibility and making it harder to hear and smell. Of course, it was just an illusion, but hopefully the others wouldn't realize that. I hauled Tetsuya up onto my back and grabbed Kaito's arm.

"We're going to the Hyuuga compound. Let's go!" I had made my house more defensible, and there were Hyuugas there that would help us - if not because I also lived there, but because Hanabi was the second daughter to Lord Hiashi. From there we could regroup and figure out a plan of action. I made sure Kaito kept up - it wouldn't be long until the enemy realized the attack for what it was. I could carry around smoke bombs, but I couldn't see through those. I could carry around poison mists, but that would work against me. Genjutsu was the best bet to keep myself and my teammates safe and able to fight.

Footsteps behind us a few moments later alerted me that all was not well. It wouldn't be long before we arrived at the compound - it was closer than the Hokage's tower, which was why I'd picked it.

"Hanabi, give Kaito Kiyoko and take Tetsuya." She quickly gave the new boy the young child and took Tetsuya from me. It was a bit awkward, but she managed. "Keep going. Don't stop for anything, no matter what. Hanabi, when you get to the compound, go straight to your father. Don't let them stop you at the entrance."

"Yes, Maia-sensei."

"But, what about you Maia-sensei?" Kaito asked as he struggled to keep up the pace. He wasn't used to any of this.

"I'm going to slow them down. Don't leave the compound for anything. Have Lord Hiashi send a messenger to Tsunade-sama."

"But..."

"I'll be fine. Now go!" I turned away, forming the seal to make a shadow clone. I had to protect them as they fled. It wasn't far from here. They should be able to make it. The clone and I stood next to each other on the path, waiting for the enemy to appear. I wasn't to wait for long - all four men were quickly upon me, forming a ring around me.

"Hey, you two. Go get the kids." The one who was probably the leader. I whirled and threw kunai at the enemy he spoke to before leaping past them, interposing myself between them and their goal.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to go through me first." I pulled out a small vial full of seeds, kept specifically in my pouch for this purpose. I uncorked it and quickly flung all of the contents in an arc at the enemy, ensuring that they were thoroughly scattered. Without pause, I dropped the vial and started forming handsigns. My shadow clone kept them away from me long enough for me to finish the jutsu. "Plant Binding!" The seeds cracked open and grew rapidly, wrapping themselves around the enemies legs and arms. I kept pouring chakra into that as I cast my senses out behind me, searching to make sure my students and the children made it safely. Unfortunately, I couldn't search that far away with half of my attention on the enemy. So, I trusted them to make it there and looked back to the enemy.

I released senbons into my hands and threw them. One of the four hit its mark. Two of them were deflected at the last moment, as they started to realize it wasn't a genjutsu but an actual ninjutsu that they were up against. The fourth just completely missed. I had recently changed the senbon poison to paralysis, so I didn't have to worry about them killing me with the poison. And, that was one person I didn't have to worry about anymore.

They all tore through the plants as I formed my next hand seals, this time using the genjutsu Bloody Rose. My chakra control had increased to where I could hold it and attack at the same time - where once upon a time holding it for any length of time would fatigue me greatly. As I intended, they believed the genjutsu was real because of the ninjutsu I had used beforehand. That allowed me to take out a second one with a poisoned senbon before they figured it out. I had hoped Orochimaru would have sent stupid people to attack. Then again, idiots wouldn't have made it this far.

"It looks like we're going to have to get serious." The captain was still standing, and now they were exhibiting the signs of the curse mark. This wasn't good. At least I had taken two of them out before they used it. I wasn't sure if I was going to survive this though - the curse mark was no joke. At least they didn't appear to have any extra-special abilities like the five we had run into while trying to save Sasuke.

I glanced warily between the two that were left. How was I going to keep them here? I could utilize the strategy I'd needed when faced with Itachi and Kisame - three exploding tags thrown as high as I could get them - but I wasn't sure there was anyone around that would see them, or, if there was, if they were of a level to help me. It would do me no good to get genin or normal people mixed into this. No, I couldn't risk it. I had to fight them alone.

They charged me - and their speed was much greater than it had been before. I dodged one, only to be slammed into a tree by the other.

"What's the matter, girlie? Too much for you?"

"This is nothing." I sneered, pulling out two deadly kunai. I had no need to keep these two alive, and I wasn't afraid of any children being killed here. But before I could use them, I was thrown again, this time to the ground, where I was then stepped on and pinned down. "Now, you've been irritating enough. It's time for you to die!" He lifted his foot to slam it down into my skull, but I managed to use the substitution jutsu just before it landed. I threw the two deadly kunai at the enemy that was already running at me. He dodged them easily.

Wait. Where was the other... there! I barely dodged to the side in time, before leaping away from the man that was still rushing at me. I quickly formed the handseals for my Leaf Blades, pouring enough chakra into them that they'd create pretty debilitating injuries, and then launching them at the captain. He dodged, but they just slammed into him from behind. While he was down, I leaped at the other one, hoping to catch him with the kunai in my hand.

That didn't happen. Instead, I got pretty banged up. He was faster and stronger than me. But, by this time my genin had to have gotten the other children to safety. So, no matter what, I didn't fail. I could live or die here, and it wouldn't matter. This wasn't nearly as painful as when I fought Kisame, but honestly I was afraid it might get there - or that I might collapse of chakra loss first. I usually didn't resort to ninjutsu, prefering to rely on taijutsu and my poisons. I whipped out two more kunais coated in the paralysis poison and threw them into the bodies of the two I'd already taken out. I didn't want them joining the fray because I forgot about them.

But I _did_forget about the captain, who blind sided me with a punch to the jaw. I was fairly certain he dislocated it. It hurt to move it, so it was at least badly bruised. Thankfully it wasn't something useful for fighting, though the pain would be distracting. I lashed a foot out, but he caught it and threw me into the air, before slamming me into the ground with a harsh kick. I landed on the ground coughing up blood - that was never a good sign. I rolled out of the way as they tried to pin me again, whipping my legs around to knock one of them off their feet. More hand seals ensued, and I was in the mist again. I poured more chakra into it, making it harder to break.

"This again? We've already broken this jutsu once!" I managed to tag the man closest to me with a deadly kunai. I threw the blade into the bushes so that it wouldn't be used against me after I was certain it made impact.

"There's only one of you left. You should just give up!" Big talk from me, when I wasn't even certain I could take on this last man by myself. Unfortunately, he had more than enough chakra to break through my genjutsu, especially given that he had a curse mark on his side.

"I will not fail Orochimaru-sama!" Of course it was the captain that was left over. Maybe I would capture him as well. He was already injured, so hopefully that would make my job easier. He lunged at me, and I deflected his attacks to either side, dodging around and away from him. I wasn't going to lose to this man.

But then the seal moved to cover his whole body.

If I thought he was fast before, I was mistaken. I couldn't dodge his attacks, and when they hit me I would have sworn a boulder slammed into me. For sure I had at least one broken bone now - probably more were fractured or otherwise injured. I flipped open my pouch and downed a potion before throwing more Leaf Blades at him. The rest of my chakra went to that jutsu, to make it as powerful as I could. I'd use one of the chakra restoratives, but I didn't have any in my kunai holster.

No matter how fast he was, my jutsu would follow until it hit. That was how I had created it. It pierced two vital spots in the chest, and he was bleeding furiously. Hopefully it would be enough. But, he was still rushing me as if there was no injury. Since I couldn't dodge in time, I held up a poisoned kunai, hoping to get him to impale himself on it. He dodged around it, taking out a kunai of his own to stab me with. Multiple, bloody wounds later, I managed to scratch the man.

But, it wasn't until I'd been slammed around for a few more minutes did the man collapse into a deep slumber. I was collapsed on the ground myself, bleeding from various scratches and gouges, but those really weren't the issue. It was the broken ribs - I was certain from the way I was coughing up blood that at least one of them was puncturing a lung - and the broken leg that I'd received at the end that were going to cause me problems. That, and the fact that I depleted my chakra stores to the very dregs.

My body wanted to give out, but I wasn't having any of it. I had to wait until someone who could help arrived. There were footsteps not long after, and I pulled out a nausea-inducing kunai just in case. I coughed again, splattering blood on the ground in front of me. Oh man, that was not good at all. I winced and held my ribs with my other arm, waiting for who ever was coming to arrive. It was probably one of the guards, who had been notified by the barrier jutsu that people had gotten through. I wonder what took them so long.

"Maia!" I coughed again with a wince and dropped the kunai.

"Tie... Tie up those... those men..." I ordered. "And... And get... get Ibiki..." I was fading fast. The last thing I saw was the Hyuuga moving to do as I ordered; my vision went black as I slumped over.


	46. Safety

So, the school year is about to start up and I'm going to be fairly busy once it does. Four classes a day plus a part time job and martial arts five days a week will be my entire schedule. Just thought I'd update those who are curious.

Please review! Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Six **– _Safety_

I awoke with a start in the hospital. I tried to sit up, but my chest hurt too badly to make that possible.

"Don't move, Maia. Your chest is still badly injured." Neji's voice came to me from my right. I glanced over towards him.

"You're... You're back." How long had I been asleep, I wondered? He'd been off on a mission when I'd fought those sound goons.

"I've been back for a few days, Maia. You've been unconscious for a week." I frowned.

"A week..?"

"They needed to keep you unconscious so you could heal, but your chakra levels were so depleted that you would have been unconscious for days anyways." I nodded a little.

"Where are the children?" Did I succeed? I didn't fail, did I?

"They made it to the compound safely. Their identities are compromised, and they are restricted to the compound for the time being on Tsunade-samas orders. They're being watched over by the compound as a whole - nothing will get them while they're there." I nodded a bit.

"I'm glad." I closed my eyes briefly. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"Your ribs are no longer broken, but they will need time to heal." That was Sakura. I opened my eyes to look at her.

"Why does it seem to be my ribs that always get injured?" I asked sarcastically. I just shrugged at me.

"Either way. They need time to heal, and having been broken before isn't making the healing any easier." I nodded. "You should be able to leave in a few days." Oh, good. "But no training. No exertion that will hurt your ribs." Of course not. I couldn't just, you know, not be injured. I wished I could be.

"Yes, Sakura."

"I'll make sure she does as she's told." I glared at Neji.

"And when have I never done what the doctors told me?"

"That time when you jumped out of the tree during my chuunin training."

"That wasn't my fault! You were going to hurt Ryu!"

"But you weren't supposed to." I would have crossed my arms, but it would have hurt dreadfully. So I just had to settle for a continued glare in his direction. Sakura just laughed at the two of us, and I huffed and looked away.

"Whatever." Sakura came over to examine my chest with her medical ninjutsu.

"The fractures that remain are coming along nicely, and where the ribs broke are doing well also. It will take time for them to heal, but so long as you're careful you should be as good as new in a month or so." A _month_. Then again, I had sustained a lot of damage.

"What about my leg?"

"We healed that after stabalizing your ribs. It needs a cast for a bit, so we're holding you here until it's fully healed. We healed the rest of the injuries to your body while you were unconscious - all we're waiting on is for the bones to set." I nodded with a sigh.

"I understand. Thank you." Sakura left after a few more minutes, as she had other patients to care for.

"You took on _four_of them?" Neji asked finally. I nodded.

"I got two of them before they transformed, and one of them before he took on the second stage. If not for my poisons...well... I probably wouldn't be here." He frowned.

"What happens now, Maia?" I glanced over at him.

"What do you mean?"

"The children can be placed anywhere, now that their identity isn't a secret. You don't have to stay in the compound with me." I paused. It was true. I could go back to my apartment if I wanted.

"I promised I'd marry you, didn't I?" My voice was soft and hesitant, because I wasn't sure if he wanted me to stay.

"I didn't understand what was going on when I made you make that promise. I won't hold you to a promise you made under duress." I frowned.

"I'm not going to go back on my word, Neji. Unless you want me to leave..?" He shook his head.

"No, that isn't it. I just don't want to pressure you into anything, Maia. It wasn't right of me to ask you what I did."

"I'm going to stay with you, Neji, unless you want me to leave." I told him, finally. He released a pent up breath.

"I'm glad you want to stay." I smiled at him a bit, but then it faded.

"Are you... Are you still mad at me?" He shook his head.

"I haven't been mad at you for awhile, Maia. I know you have a duty to the village first." I relaxed.

"That's good. I'm glad." I closed my eyes. Man, I was still really tired - and I'd been asleep a week?

"I'm going to let you rest. I'll come by to see you tomorrow." I nodded, but let my eyes closed. I was asleep before he left the room.

I didn't get out of the hospital for another week and a half. I was fatigued and my leg was healing slower than expected - until it was okay to walk on, I couldn't leave, and medical ninjutsu could only go so far when it came to broken bones. My ribs were still in no shape to let me do anything but walk, but that was enough to get me out of the hospital. I was glad to go home.

It wouldn't be for a month that I would be fully healed. In that time, Orochimaru was killed. I couldn't believe it when I heard. Last I'd known, he was terrorizing us, distracting us, and messing with a Tailed Beast. How had he been killed? Apparently, Sasuke did it - which made him a kind of hero to the Leaf. And yet he didn't return like many hoped he would. He stayed away - and I didn't know whether or not to be unhappy about that. I still vividly remembered the rush to save him when he left. I had a scar through my shoulder from the creepy spider man, and Neji had two. I could never forget the pain and sorrow we went through over than man. But he was still a dangerous criminal. Did we want him back? We probably shouldn't - he already left once to a criminal. He'd probably turn on us again. I wasn't prepared to chase the man again if he abandoned us again.

This made it even safer for the children. Not _completely_safe - no, their jutsu was too dangerous to make them fully safe - but safer. They were relocated to a foster family within the village, one better suited to caring for them as they needed. Tetsuya decided to continue training, and came with Ryu to my training grounds each day still.

Even though I wasn't able to train myself, I could still train my genin. I watched them spar and gave them notes on what they did wrong.. I taught them how to mold their chakra to make them able to use more jutsu. Nobori practiced more poisons. Hanabi trained with Neji whenever he was in the village, learning more about the Gentle Fist style. Kaito continued to get stronger, though I could tell he was despairing from being so far behind the others. But he _was_getting stronger, anyone could see that.

I got Lee to take them on a C-rank mission, to bolster everyones confidence. Okay, maybe putting them with Lee probably made the easy C-rank mission even harder, but he was getting sad that I was always picking Tenten. I picked him so he would feel better. While they were away, I restocked all of my ninja supplies. I restocked my poisons and antidotes, ensuring that the antidotes were in hypordermic form. The potions were made next, half of which were in hypordermic form. Then I made sure to have plenty of herbs left over to last me for a good period of time. I was more expensive when it came to ninja supplies, unfortunately, but it made me more valuable to the village.

While they were away, I felt so useless though. I couldn't work with the Interrogation unit, as I wasn't strong enough to subdue anyone like normal. They only resorted to my Pain poison when they were in a rush or all other modes had been exhausted. I couldn't train. Once I had all my poisons, antidotes, and potions created, all I had left to do was mold chakra and build up my reserves. That had been one of the reasons I'd fallen and why I was taking so long to recover. That was all that was left for me - chakra training. I couldn't wait to get back to the physical training.


End file.
